Chapter Five
On impact everything went red, before darkness rolled in momentarily. When she blinked back to alertness, pain had washed through her as she struggled to push aside the deflated airbag.
“Whoa.” She patted herself down, checking to make sure nothing was bleeding or broken. Her head hurt like crazy and her muscles were overtly taut, but nothing seemed seriously wrong.
Her door was jerked open and the unfamiliar face of an elderly man stared down at her with concern, asking her something.
“What?” she shook her head, completely disoriented.
And then the man stepped back and another figure appeared, crouching down to talk to her.
“Ma’am, are you okay? Can you get out of the vehicle?”
Her heart rose in her throat and her eyes widened. For a moment she’d thought she was staring at Ian, but then the sheriff’s uniform registered and she realized this wasn’t her ex, but his equally attractive twin. The missing scar near his left eye was another clue it wasn’t Ian.
“Colin?” Her voice croaked and she tried to make her way out of the car.
Colin’s brows drew together in confusion, even as he rushed to help her climb out.
“Do I know you?” He paused and his lips pursed. “Aye, wait a minute. Sarah?”
She nodded, frustrated to feel her eyes filling with tears. It had already been too much. And now this? Crashing her car and being forced to face another McLaughlin family member?
“Are you hurt, luv?”
Shaking her head, she couldn’t stop the tears from spilling down her cheeks. “No. No, I don’t think so. A little sore, but okay I think.”
“There you go, then. Take a deep breath.” He caught her shoulders in his hands and gave them a gentle squeeze. “It’s going to be all right. I promise.”
What the hell was wrong with her? She was falling apart all over Ian’s twin. But she suspected she would’ve had the same reaction to whoever had pulled her from the car.
The adrenaline pulsing through her body started to diminish and she scrubbed at her moist eyes.
She turned to look at her gran’s car and let out a cry of dismay. The front was smashed in; the hood bent into an inverted V. And both airbags had deployed.
“Oh no,” she whispered, shoving her hands through her hair. “This looks bad.”
“Aye. It doesn’t look good. Can I call someone for you, Sarah?”
Kenzie was working. She shook her head, wishing she could just spout off the number of someone. Anyone. “No.”
No one who was in Washington State anyway. Not since Gran had passed.
Colin asked another question, but she couldn’t focus. She was too busy wondering how she was going to fix Gran’s car—which was her only vehicle on the island. How could she afford it?
When Colin stepped away from her a moment later, it barely registered.
How had the island that had once been such a haven to her become such a constant state of hell?
*
“Why are you so interested in her?”
Ian blinked, tearing his gaze away from the pool table where Gina was lining up another shot.
“Who?”
“That girl you just chased out of here.” She rolled her eyes and took the shot. Missed by a mile.
“She’s an old friend.”
“One you used to fuck?” Her mouth curved into what she probably thought was a seductive little pout.
It did nothing for him. Not today. “That’s none of your damn business.”
“You are such an asshole.” Gina wove her arms around his neck and pressed her voluptuous body against his. “Mmm. And if you weren’t so good in bed I’d be on to another guy by now.”
She’d been exactly what he’d wanted a few months ago. All tits and arse, fun in bed and with no commitment. But lately she’d been turning him off like a cheap perfume.
“Hey, if that’s what you want.” He threw it out there, knowing she wouldn’t bite, but almost hoping she would.
“I want you, babe. Though I’m kind of pissed we haven’t done it in almost a month.” She kissed him slow and deep, and lifted her head a minute later. “Come over after work tonight?”
Maybe a night with Gina would be good for clearing his mind—among other things. Sarah had twisted him up into a fucking emotional pretzel. She’d always had the ability to do that to him, and it had driven him nuts.
He needed to focus on someone else. Gina was probably the answer.
“I’ll see what I can do.” He stepped back, feeling his cell in his pocket start to buzz.
He dug out his phone as Kenzie walked by them, giving him a dirty look. Obviously she wasn’t a fan of Gina’s PDAs. He grinned at his sister and gave an overtly innocent shrug.
Seeing Colin’s number on his caller ID, Ian answered, “This must be important if you’re calling me from work.”
“It’s important.”
Where Ian’s tone had been a lazy drawl, his brother’s was curt and grim. Pretty damn uncommon for his twin, actually.
“What’s going on?” Ian moved away from Gina, lowering his voice.
“You’re aware that Sarah’s back on the isl—”
“Yes, I’m quite aware.” His words flattened. “Is that why you’ve called?”
“No. She’s been in an accident.”
Everything inside Ian turned to ice, and his chest went impossibly tight to where he could barely speak.
“She’s all right,” Colin continued. “Just a bit banged up. I’m going to try and talk her into going to the hospital just to get checked out. But I called because—”
“Where is she?” Ian was already walking toward the door.
“About four miles outside of Oak Harbor on Highway 20.”
“I’ll be there in five minutes.” He turned off the phone and dug into his pocket for his keys.
“Babe. What the hell?” Gina ran outside the pub after him, her mouth twisted in dismay. “You’re leaving me?”
“I have to go check on someone. Sorry, G.” He gave her a quick kiss, even though he still wasn’t feeling it.
“Someone?” She folded her arms across her large chest and cocked a brow. “As in this old friend again? Seriously?”
Shit, he should’ve realized Gina would’ve picked up on his interest in Sarah.
“I’ll call you later,” he promised. “You know I want to see you.”
That last line might’ve been stretching it. If he admitted it, he’d only brought Gina here for lunch because he’d known it would needle Sarah.
“You’d better call me.” She shook her head. “Because I got options, Ian. And you know it.”
Jesus, she was becoming much more work than play.
Not bothering to reply, he jumped into his car and left the pub.
Almost five minutes later, as promised, he pulled up to the accident scene. The Island County Sheriff’s cruiser was parked with lights flashing just behind Sarah’s vehicle. It had veered off the road and was pretty much making out with a tree.
Ian’s concern mounted as he climbed from his Camaro.
Right away he spotted Sarah. She and Colin stood next to her car, deep in discussion.
Her face was blotchy from tears and likely the airbag slamming into it. Ian’s muscles tautened, and something dark and volatile built inside him as he watched his twin place an arm around her shoulders. Surely it was a gesture of comfort, but Ian didn’t like it. And the realization both startled and irritated him.
She stilled, as if sensing him, and her body twisted his way, her gaze locking on him. For a moment he could’ve sworn there was relief in her eyes, before it slipped away into something close to disbelief and misery.
When he reached her side, Colin pulled away from Sarah. Her gaze was only on Ian, though, as she shook her head.
“Do you McLaughlins have mental telepathy with each other or something? This is getting a little ridiculous.”
“Not telepathy, just got a call from my brother here.” He gave his brother a hard look, before glancing back at Sarah. “What happened?”
“None of your business.” She glared at Colin. “And I’m sure you broke some sheriff code by calling him.”
Colin shrugged and gave a small grin. “I thought you might want help from an old friend. Ian owns a garage, you know.”
The irritation on her face faded to surprise, and her gaze darted back to Ian. “No, actually I didn’t know. I kind of figured he’d have a career dealing weed by now or something.”
While Ian muttered a soft, “Ouch.” His twin let out a roar of laughter.
“Well, it’s legal now, so there are worse things,” Colin murmured.
“Look, you guys can both take off. I’ll call for a tow truck. Unless I’m getting some kind of ticket, Colin?”
“No. You swerved to avoid a deer and hit no other cars. Just…totaled your own. I think that’s punishment enough.” Colin grimaced. “And I think you should consider getting checked out at the hospital.”
Sarah waved off Colin’s protest and turned, striding back to her car. “I’m fine. I just want to call my insurance and get things settled.”
Ian thrust his hands into his jean pockets and followed her. “Go for it. But your insurance premium is going to go up.”
“Why on earth would my insurance go up? This was an accident. I didn’t cause it.”
“Well, you did, actually. Colin just said you swerved to avoid hitting a deer?”
“Yes. Two, actually. One was a fawn. What are you getting at?”
“I’m saying that you swerved to avoid hitting a deer. Had you just braked instead of swerving, you wouldn’t have been at fault.”
“That makes no sense.” She glanced at him over her shoulder. “Then I would’ve actually hit, and most likely killed, the deer. I would’ve felt awful, and my car would still be totaled. Are you even listening to yourself?”
“Look, I know what I’m talking about. My career is fixing cars, doll. I live on an island full of deer and have worked with insurance companies enough to know how this works. If you’d hit the deer, you would’ve been covered, because that wasn’t your fault.” He sighed. “But you swerved and made the choice to risk your life, meaning you caused the accident. It’ll be an at-fault collision claim. Your rates are going to go up.”
“Seriously? This is how life works? I decide to save Bambi and his mom and I get in trouble?”
Ian gave a slow laugh. “Pretty much. Next time just run them over and keep the meat.”
Her nose wrinkled. “Okay, that’s just horrible, not to mention gross.”
“Aye.” Ian frowned and took a step closer to her, concern sliding through him. Reaching out with the pad of his thumb, he caught the tiny trickle of blood just above her lip.
She sucked in a breath and pulled back. “What are—?”
“Your nose is bleeding. Did you hit the steering wheel?”
Her gaze locked with his and for a moment the world around them slowed and fell back in time. How many times had he stared into those eyes? Had his pulse been a little quick, just as it was now?
Maybe she felt it too, because she didn’t look away and he heard the slight shift in her breathing. Then she blinked and her tongue darted out to wet her lips.
“I—I don’t know if I hit my head. Honestly, I can’t remember much except swerving. Then I saw red. The airbag went off though.” Seeming almost self-conscious, she ducked her head and her hair slid forward in a curtain shielding her face.
Concern slid through him. “You should take Colin’s advice and go to the hospital.”
“I’ll be fine.”
He grunted in reply. “Still stubborn. Some things don’t change.”
“So what’s your plan of action?” Colin called out as he approached again. “I’ve got a call coming in and need to go. Would you like me to send a tow truck?”
“Already called one for her on the way up,” Ian answered before she could.
Her head jerked back up. “Wait, you did what?”
“Towing it to your garage then?” Colin confirmed.
“Aye.”
“Right then. I’ll be seeing you around, I’m sure, Sarah. Ian will have your car running in no time.” With a wink at her and a nod at his brother, Colin disappeared back into his vehicle.
“Look, I’m not sure what kind of deal you and your twin have concocted here, but I’m not taking my car to your garage.” Sarah’s words were terse and her arms folded across her chest indicated her mind was made up.
“Ah. So you’re filing a claim and picking another garage on the island then?”
She nibbled on her lip and uncertainty flickered across her face. “No. I’m not going to file a claim. I can’t afford a spike in my insurance—I already have a speeding ticket from earlier in the year.”
“Let me fix your car.”
“Look, I can’t afford to pay you,” she blurted, and then her cheeks flushed red. “I…I just don’t have a lot of money right now.”
He stared at her, knowing that had been damn hard for her to admit.
“I’m still paying attorney fees from the divorce.”
Ah. Yes, that would certainly put a hole in one’s finances. What did she even do for work now? He really didn’t have any idea.
“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure we can figure something out.”
Her lips parted and her face lost a shade of color. Slowly she shook her head.
“Ian, that’s probably not a good idea.”
“No?” He arched a brow. “How do you intend to fix it then?”
“I don’t know. But I don’t want to be indebted to you. Don’t you understand? I had no intention of even seeing you during this visit. This is a complete nightmare for me.”
For some reason her impassioned—maybe unintentionally barbed—words hurt.
“Aye, I understand.” His lips curved into a mocking smile, even as the urge to touch the tempting softness of her cheek suddenly overwhelmed him. Using his knuckles, he brushed a caress over the round apple of her cheek.
Touching her had always been his crack. Nothing had changed. He wanted to unwind that colorful scarf and expose the delicate skin of her neck. He could almost see the curve of her breasts between the folds of purple fabric.
There was so much he wanted. So much he’d be stupid to try and explore.
“Why is seeing me again so hard?” The question tore from him, quiet and confused. “Because of what happened?”
The panic across her face surprised him. So did the fact that she hadn’t pushed his hand away.
“Please, let it go.”
“For the moment, I suppose I’ll have to.” He glanced over her shoulder and noticed the tow truck pulling up in front of her wrecked car. “Just as it seems you’ll have to accept my help.”
*
The ride to his shop was only about five minutes, but in Sarah’s mind it may as well have been an hour.
She was tucked into Ian’s Camaro, speeding through the back roads of Whidbey Island. It was entirely too familiar. Too comforting—and she wasn’t about to analyze why.
She’d held her breath more often than drawn one in. She just wanted to be invisible.
Right. A hysterical laugh—one that had been lingering for the last hour—built low in her throat. Of course she kept it restrained.
She closed her eyes again and drew in a slow breath. That didn’t help in the least; instead it filled her nostrils with the smell of his soap. He’d never been a cologne guy, but she recognized the familiar soap he’d been so fond of buying from a local vendor on the island.
She’d been with him the first time he’d purchased it at a street fair. Beer soap, it had been touted. Not like it had smelled like a brewery or anything—it had been subtle, almost a faint nutty scent. But the word beer combined with soap had been just too cool for a teenage Ian. And apparently the grown Ian too.
She liked the smell, though. Always had. Unfortunately now it was bringing back too many memories.
The tires of the Camaro crunched over gravel, and she opened her eyes to see them arriving.
Who knew what she’d been expecting, but it wasn’t this. The garage was located on the outskirts of Coupeville. A restored garage painted a vibrant blue. The words above the garage: McLaughlin’s Auto and Classic Car Restoration.
Her lips fell open on a silent sigh. This wasn’t a rundown auto shop by any means. Not the way she’d been expecting. It looked authentic. Tasteful. With a handful of employees working hard inside the garage.
“Here we are.”
Unfastening her seat belt, she offered a grudging, “This looks like a nice place.”
“That’s because it is.” His gaze met hers, and the hard glint in those amazing green eyes both captivated her and made her flinch. “Come on inside. I’ll show you the place.”
After a brief tour of the garage and meeting some of the employees—all of whom seemed pretty nice—Ian took her into what appeared to be his office.
There was a door that locked and shutters that were closed. A computer sat on the desk, some kind of spreadsheet on the screen. She averted her gaze, but tried not to look at Ian either.
The office wasn’t small, but it felt downright closet-sized with just the two of them inside it. Especially when he closed the door behind them.
Feeling his gaze on her—hot and heavy—she did her best not to squirm.
“So, how long have you had the garage?” That probably sounded like the lame and obvious stall tactic that it was.
“Six years.” He moved toward her and her heart leapt into her throat. But he strode past her and dropped his keys on the desk instead. “Da fronted me the money to get it off the ground since the bank wouldn’t lend to me.”
“They wouldn’t?” It didn’t really surprise her all that much, though it did disappoint her a little.
“No. I didn’t have the best credit history. And I’m sure the felony on my record didn’t help.”
Hearing him say the words aloud was a bit of a punch, and she could feel her eyes rounding. She’d known about the felony, but had always tried to not think about it. Wanted to believe it had been some kind of mistake.
Ten years ago she’d had a momentary lapse of sanity and had decided to try and contact Ian again. When her father had discovered what she was about to do, he’d presented her with Ian’s latest background check—the felony conviction highlighted in yellow.
Ian seemed to be waiting for her shock and disgust. One brow was arched and his lips were curved into a slight smile, but his eyes were hard. They were always hard. As if the weight of the world, barbed and vicious, sat on his shoulders.
“Aren’t you going to ask what the felony was?” His words were soft. His steps deliberate as he approached.
This time she knew his destination truly was her and not his desk.
“It’s none of my business.” The words came out on a croak.
I won’t step back and let him think he scares me. No, it wasn’t really him that scared her anyway, but her response to him.
“Second-degree assault,” he answered anyway. “I beat a man nearly to death.”
Bile churned in her stomach, and there was no disguising the shock in her eyes now. She blinked and jerked her gaze from him, staring instead at the wooden panels of the wall.
But along with the shock, there was such heavy sadness and disappointment.
“I’m not sure that gives you bragging rights.”
“I’m not bragging, I’m warning you that I’m dangerous.”
“You think I don’t know that?” She gave a harsh laugh of disbelief and swung her attention back to him. “I tried to stay away from you, and yet you’ve dragged me back into your life.”
He stood just inches from her, and despite her intent to stay strong, she wanted to scurry back another three feet. Put at least a bit of distance between them.
“You needed my help, doll. Which reminds me. We should talk payment.”
Was this a joke? She’d already told him she was broke. “I don’t have—”
“I don’t want your money.” He reached out, so quickly she hadn’t seen his hand move, only felt it against her cheek.
Despite his large, calloused hands, his touch was surprisingly gentle. And it still had the ability to turn her body to mush. Made her mind a little foggy.
“I want a kiss.”