A sheen of sweat coated his skin, typical for summer nights in the desert. But something was off. Half asleep and dazed, Connor’s head pounded out a beat like he’d partied far too hard at a nightclub. He moaned. Hangovers were a bitch. But he didn’t remember drinking anything. Memories of the previous night’s dinner party flooded back—good food, great company, albeit a bit uncomfortable to begin with because of his episode, and later lots of laughter. The stress, the self-doubt had faded away in the safety of his friends’ home. But that’d been overshadowed by his nightmare. It was so damn vivid. He could practically taste the cordite hanging in the air from the gunfire, smell the copper tinge of blood blooming out over his friend’s throat and pooling on the ground below him. Watching his brother in arms die before him again never got easier. Seeing the light fade from his eyes, the spark of life dying with him clawed his heart out every time he experienced it. Connor wished it was the first time, but the nightmares were persistent bastards. The counsellors said that was normal. Didn’t make him feel any better about it though.
He sighed. The migraine-like headache he always ended up with after one of those dreams took a while to kick. Lifting his hand from its warm pillow of soft skin, Connor pressed his fingertips against his temple and rubbed. He opened his eyes after a time, squinting against the light. Luscious brown, silky hair glowed softly in the morning light and filled his vision. Katy was sharing his pillow, and this close, he could make out the auburn in the fine strands. Her back pressed to his front; he’d held her close as they’d slept soundly. But the fact that he was holding Katy didn’t surprise him; he’d been drawn to her the first time they’d met. The surprise was to have Levi’s arms wrapped around his own body. Plastered together from nose to tangled feet, the solid wall of muscle embracing him tight was grounding. He relaxed into Levi’s touch and leaned in a little more, pulling Katy closer. It wasn’t sexual—although his and Levi’s morning wood and his hand on Katy’s bare hip might suggest otherwise—it was comfort, a safe place from the world.
It was home.
As much as he should leave, as much as he knew staying to watch his two best friends love each other while he was alone would likely break his heart, he couldn’t. Losing them again would be worse.
Lips against his shoulder, followed by a sensuous bite on muscle and Levi gripping his hip and grinding, had Connor sucking in a breath. He’d heard Levi and Katy the night before—how couldn’t he? Fucking up against the door in the next bedroom over wasn’t ever going to be quiet, and he’d felt like a total perv listening. But he’d laid there, stunned and torn over what he was feeling. Too tired to get up and put some music on his headphones, but suddenly too awake to fall asleep, Connor had listened to Levi and Katy make love, wishing he shared a connection like theirs. Had begged the universe for that kind of forever with someone. Now, the press of Levi’s cock against him had Connor imagining what it would be like being with him. The shock of it jarred him fully awake, and he lurched forward trying to get up but unable to because of the sheet trapping him in place. His movement jostled Katy.
“Hmm, yeah, I’m awake. What’s wrong?” she rambled as she roused, sitting up.
“Shh, it’s okay. Nothing’s wrong.” He reached out and took her hand as she looked around wide-eyed. “I got a fright when I woke up,” Connor soothed, trying to play down the jackhammering of his heart and the reason why he’d practically thrown her out of bed.
“What time is it?” Levi mumbled from behind him.
“Oh, shit,” Katy breathed. “We’re late, Lee. You’ve gotta get outta here in twenty minutes, and I should already be at the shop. I’ve got a cake being picked up this morning, and I still need to do the finishing touches to it.”
Connor tossed off the sheet and stood as Katy and Levi dashed out of the room to get ready, relieved they weren’t going to stick around to dissect the clusterfuck of his nightmare and earlier flashback. “I’ll get coffee on,” he called out, walking to his bag to get fresh underwear. He didn’t expect Katy to stick her head back in, and when she did, she copped an eyeful.
“Oh, um, thanks, boo. Coffee’d be great. Um,” she stuttered, still staring at his semi-hard, pierced cock, “help yourself to whatever you….”
Connor laughed self-consciously, kind of flattered that Katy had lost track of what she was saying. “Cupcake, eyes up here.” He pointed to his face. Her shock from hearing him and the deep blush staining her cheeks a rosy pink, made him laugh harder as he bent and rifled through his bag to find his last pair of clean underwear. Holding them against his groin, he watched her with interest. His skin pricked with awareness, her eyes on him setting every one of his nerve endings alight. Desire curled low in his gut. He tried to fight it, but the flush on Katy’s cheeks had him wondering what other parts of her would grow pink when she was embarrassed or better yet, turned on. Oblivious to his inner turmoil, Katy ploughed on, trying desperately to save the conversation.
“I don’t know what time I’ll be finished. Do you want my car? You’ll be stuck here. I don’t want you to be stuck here.” And her rambling was cute.
“I’m fine. I’ll Uber to my tattoo guy and back.” Checking the time on the alarm clock next to the bed had Connor moving. Levi was going to be late, and Katy already was. If they wanted coffee, he needed to get dressed.
Katy paused, waiting in the doorway as he slipped on the tight boxer shorts. Connor knew she wanted to say something more, but she was hesitating. Did he make her uncomfortable? Should he be sleeping with clothes on? Maybe he should, especially while he was bunking there.
“You have a Prince Albert.” Her words were quiet, filled with surprise. “I didn’t know you were pierced.”
Connor gave her a lopsided smirk, trying to ease any discomfort she had around him. “Only the girls I’ve slept with know that.”
“That’s probably a long list. It’s not exactly top secret information.”
“It’s not as long as you think, Cupcake. I don’t exactly get around much.” He wasn’t defensive—never defensive with Katy—but he was a little sad. The truth was he hadn’t even kissed a woman in a year.
She could read him well. But instead of pity at his sadness, she opted for humour, salaciously wiggling her eyebrows as she said, “Well, I know your secret now.” He loved that about her—her playfulness never failed to make him smile.
“One of them.” He shrugged, feigning a casual air and concentrating on willing down the thickening of his shaft. Despite how damn inappropriate it was, his dick enjoyed the attention. It was nice to have a little for a change, even if it went with a healthy dose of guilt for even speaking with his best friend’s girl about his cock.
“One? There’s more?”
“Two others.” Connor ground his teeth together, willing his dick down. If they kept this conversation up any longer, he’d be sporting a boner that he couldn’t hide behind his underwear. Almost desperate to get her out of there without making either of them any more uncomfortable, Connor cut the conversation short. “But we’ll have to talk about those another time. You’re late.” Katy nodded, smiled and sprinted away, giving Connor a chance to breathe. He sat on the end of the bed, resting his elbows on his knees. The last twenty-four hours, hell the last hour, had been surreal, like he was living in the twilight zone. A sexed up one at that. Both Levi and Katy had thrown him. He was kind of glad Levi hadn’t woken up to find himself rubbing off against Connor. He could handle it, but he wasn’t sure whether Levi could. And knowing his best friend had Connor’s taste on his lips, that Levi had sunk his teeth into Connor’s muscle? Connor shivered. That bite was hot as fuck, but what the hell? Why am I even thinking that? And then Katy checking him out? Her eyes were like velvet sliding over his skin. Decadent and taboo. Connor adjusted himself and took in a breath. Yeah, his head was spinning; he was overwhelmed.
“That’s a wrap, everyone,” Sam called out. Levi rubbed the towel over his face, wiping away the sweat from his brow, before stretching his tired arms above his head. He’d been filming at Village Roadshow’s studios that day, in front of the green screen. Wearing a Lycra body suit and enough sensors to detect the slightest muscle twitch, Levi was literally a science experiment for the day. They were filming a series on how muscles reacted to stimuli—he was demonstrating the effect of exercise on the body.
The show, Challenge Accepted, was aimed at young teens to change perceptions of body image, encourage physical activity and steer them away from drugs and alcohol consumption—all things Levi was passionate about. He was the host, the face of the show, and most of the time the guy who put his body on the line to accept the daily challenge. Every activity they filmed was in controlled conditions, minimizing any risks, but it didn’t reduce the physicality of his job. And that’s what he loved about it—the rush. He wasn’t just some personal trainer turned TV host. He was out there jumping out of planes, swimming with sharks, abseiling and whatever else DJ, his location manager, could think of to challenge Levi with. Whatever it was, it was usually a blast.
Levi pulled the last of the sensors off his skin, wincing at the tug on the hair of his inner thigh and pulled on his shorts and tee. “Thanks, Sam. Lemme know if you wanna re-shoot that last segment.” Levi shook his head. What a nightmare. His guest host wouldn’t stick to the script, kept adding in extra lines, and when Levi was cued in to speak, would talk over him. “I can come in anytime if you need me.”
“I think we’ll be right once it goes through editing. We can tidy up quite a bit of it. I think we’ll be able to use enough to get this segment wrapped up.”
The vibration in his back pocket had Levi holding up his index finger to Sam, asking him to wait a minute. He didn’t recognize the number of the person calling, but that wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. In his line of work, he often had friends of friends calling asking him for advice. “Hello.”
“G’day, mate, it’s me.” Connor’s deep voice resonated through the phone and Levi smiled. His friend was settling in, and it pleased Levi to no end. “This is my new number.”
“Okay, cool. Whatcha up to?” Sam motioned to Levi in the direction of the staff car park. He nodded and followed, walking side by side between two of the tall industrial-looking steel sheds. Giant numbers were painted on the side of each building, a nine on the one closest to him. It was the largest sound stage in Village Roadshow’s studio—the southern hemisphere in fact—and already had an impressive résumé of blockbuster films in its first year of operation.
Their shoes crunching on the loose gravel lining part of the asphalt road, Levi enjoyed being outdoors for the first time that day. The late afternoon sun shone down on them, the slight breeze cooling down the muggy weather. It’d probably rain later that night. It was steamy.
Connor replied to Levi’s question, saying, “I’ve picked up my rental. It’s as bad as your piece of shit.” Levi could just picture the smirk on Connor’s face as he rolled his eyes. “I got my phone and just finished getting my tat. Now I’m hungry. Wanna get some food?”
Levi looked at his watch. “Katy should be finished soon too. Was planning on going past her shop on my way home. We can pick her up and grab a pizza down the beach if you like?”
“No worries, I’ll meet you there,” Connor replied happily. The line clicked off and Levi smiled.
“I’d say that smile was for Katy, but….” Sam trailed off.
“It was Con, my best mate. He’s finally home for good.”
“He’s the one who was serving in the Middle East, wasn’t he?”
“Yeah.” Levi couldn’t help but smile again. He’d done a lot of that during filming too. What wasn’t there to be happy about? Of course, he was a little confused if his reaction that morning was anything to go by. But he was wholeheartedly choosing to ignore the niggling in his gut that there had been some kind of fundamental shift in him. Things that he’d been trying to deny for a long-arsed time had seemed to click into place the night before with an ease that scared him. There were parts about himself he wasn’t sure he wanted to give voice to yet, or ever. Things that would, no doubt, affect a lot more people than just him.
He pulled his car into the small strip of shops housing Delectable, Katy’s cake shop and bakery. She’d started the little shop three years ago, and it’d grown in leaps and bounds since then. Learning her art from the best pastry chefs in the south-east, she quickly found her passion. It wasn’t luck that’d made her such a roaring success. No, it was the hours she spent labouring away, perfecting each element of every cake she’d ever made. It didn’t take long for her reputation to grow, leap-frogging her to the number one wedding cake bakery on the Gold Coast. And while she was working on growing that aspect of Delectable, she and Dylan, her new pastry chef, had managed to addict every person within a ten-minute drive of the shop to their delicate sweet tarts and cakes, and complex flavour combinations of the specialty macaroons they baked.
The building housing Katy’s shop wasn’t anything special, pretty nondescript actually—a single-storey, deep-red brick structure with white awnings. The handcrafted signs adorning those awnings and random collection of businesses somehow gave the centre a quirky character and irresistible charm. Who would have thought that a bottle-o, newsagent, a boutique dress store, antique furniture and Delectable would work? Katy had known it was the right spot the moment she’d seen it. And it hadn’t let her down.
Unlocking the door to Delectable was like entering gustatory heaven. The cakes Katy baked were always to die for and the shop smelled just like her: sweet, with hints of vanilla and chocolate. Levi crossed the consultation area on his way to Katy’s work area. The candy-striper feel to the waiting room was perfect for the shop. Decorated with light and dark pink satin striped wallpaper, the walls contrasted against the black couch and silver floor rug. The soft light from the understated chandelier and warm oak flooring gave the room some class. He loved it there. It was totally Katy, totally her work—feminine, bold, sexy, and sophisticated.
He paused to admire the latest mock cake before the window. The four tiers covered with preservative-laced icing was designed to look like it was draped in silver satin. Tiny roses, so intricate in their detail, ran along the base of each tier, each one a piece of art in itself. Love flooded his chest, leaving a warm tingly feeling in its wake. His girl had achieved her dream, and he was damn proud of everything she’d done. The awards, thank-you letters, and photos hanging on one of the walls showed just how much her hard work had paid off.
Levi headed to the back of the store, letting himself in through the pin-code protected door to see Katy. Unlike the consultation area, the kitchen she spent most of her time in was monotone—gleaming floor-to-ceiling stainless steel. Katy stood along a stretch of bench working on a partially completed cake which sat on a small trolley, her pastry tools on the only part of the workspace which hadn’t been cleaned yet. Her eyes flicked up to his, and they held, Katy flashing him a grin before she turned her attention back to her project. Levi paused to admire her in her element, watching as she smoothed out a fold in the icing. The latest masterpiece she was working on was coming along. The sketch pinned to the wall showed him what the final design would look like—a champagne-coloured round hat box covered in a bow almost the same size as the cake. There was another sketch showing the detail on the brooch—silver antique filigree and pearl—pinned to the centre of the bow. Once finished, the walls of the cake would be covered in what looked like lace and crystals, which he knew from experience would be delicately sweet and crunchy.
He couldn’t resist going to her then. Wrapping his arms around Katy’s waist from behind, he kissed her temple. “You know, every time I pass through the front of the shop, I wanna tell you just how amazing you are.”
“Feel free to. Can’t hurt the ego.” She leaned into his touch and tilted her head back to meet his lips in a soft kiss, never losing the goofy smile she wore.
“You are, you know? Amazing.” Levi brought a hand up to her face and ran the backs of his fingers along her cheek. Looking into her bright blue eyes, he marvelled at how perfect she was. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” Katy smiled, and his brain melted. She was beautiful. Tiny and feisty, crazy talented and, although a little piece of him wanted to beat his chest and growl mine, the truth was, he was hers.
“Have a good day?” he asked, resting his hands on her hips.
“It was good. The two cakes for this Saturday’s weddings were delivered okay. This one is for Sunday afternoon, so I’ve got a little time up my sleeve to finish it off.” She dropped the tiny spatula she was working with and stretched out the kinks in her neck.
“I was hoping you’d say that.” Levi smiled and nipped the exposed skin on her throat, licking away the sting. “Was thinking we’re about due to have a day at the beach.”
Katy hummed contentedly. “I’d love that. Have you asked Connor yet?”
“No, he hasn’t.” Connor’s voice startled both of them as he leaned over the counter where the register was. When did he get here? “But I’d love to come, unless I’m gate crashing.” Levi may have been surprised, but the spark of… something—excitement, happiness, heck who knew—from seeing Connor surprised Levi more. Ignoring it, he smiled.
Connor motioned around the shop. “Can I take a walk around?”
“Sure, I’ll give you a tour.” Katy smiled again, glowing with happiness as she moved to the door Levi had just entered through. Levi loved seeing her like that—radiant, excited about finally having Connor see her business after all the renovations. It was a strange sense of satisfaction that he got knowing it was Connor’s return, not him that had done it. How screwed up is that?
“This place is amazing, Cupcake.” The wonder in Connor’s tone as he surveyed the space was exactly the same as Levi’s reaction every time he walked through. “The refurb looks great.”
Levi smiled as Katy took Con’s hand and led him around, giving him the story of how the expansion came to be. Her cousin Nick fronted up the money. She’d be able to pay him back in a few months when she turned twenty-five and came into her trust fund, but Nick wouldn’t insist on it—he had seen something in her when she’d confessed her dream to do wedding cakes full time. So he’d stepped in and given her the push to break out on her own. Katy had worked hard to prove his instinct right by building the business, taking on Dylan so he could bake the everyday line of sweets, and Ashton, the budding pro-surfer, to work the checkout.
They re-entered the kitchen and Levi was still smiling. It turned into a laugh when Connor’s belly rumbled loudly. He flushed red and smiled at them sheepishly. “Sorry, haven’t eaten much today.”
“Here, take one of these. They’re good.” Katy tossed him one of the last two muffins. “It’s banana and oat bran, no added sugar.” Katy moved over to the trolley and wheeled it into the cold room. “I’m just about done here. Gimme five to clean up and we can go and get dinner.”
“Can I have the other muffin?” Levi called out to her retreating form.
“Help yourself. It’s blueberry.”
After shucking her chef’s whites in the office—which doubled as a change room—Katy walked out wearing jean shorts, her unlaced steel capped boots, and a tight red tank. Levi took his time admiring her curves. She pulled off hot and sexy effortlessly, and his cock responded. Adjusting himself discreetly, he shot his gaze to Connor and saw the same pained look of desire he knew he was wearing. At least Lee wasn’t the only one who was powerless to resist her. Why it didn’t bother him that another man was so openly adoring his girlfriend was something Levi would have to return to another time.
“So whose car are we taking?” Katy asked, completely clueless at the state she had both of them in.
“Con can drive,” Levi volunteered. He couldn’t think straight with no blood in his brain, and he was at the point of being so hard he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to walk, never mind drive.
“Ah, yeah sure,” Con hesitated, before turning on his heel and quickly walking out.
Levi adjusting himself and Con looking like he was about to swallow his tongue had Katy reconsidering her getup. She’d thrown them into her bag that morning not realizing that it’d have that kind of effect. She wasn’t close to being naked, but their eyes on her caressed her like she was. Was it bad that she was enjoying it? That these two men—who were damn beautiful—thought she was sexy enough to capture and keep their attention? Even though from what Con had said, he hadn’t seen much action in a while. That needed to change. He deserved happiness and love and someone to fall head over heels for him. Maybe I should set him up… but with who? Who would be worthy of him? Who would treat him like their everything?
The buildings grew taller, the traffic heavier as she directed Con into Broadbeach. As the afternoon began to fade into dusk, they pulled into the street where their favourite pizza place was. It was quieter during a weeknight, but the city was always vibrant. Tourists and locals alike wandered down the wide paths enjoying the eclectic mix of restaurants and cafes. After Con had pulled up and they stepped out, Katy took Levi’s hand and waited for their friend to come around the car. Walking along, she hooked her arm through Con’s and smiled at him. “We’ve been coming here for a few years now. They make the best food in town.”
“You keep talking them up, and I’ll have high expectations.” Con grinned at her and Katy shook her head, rolling her eyes. He adjusted the strap of his guitar case on his shoulder and playfully poked out his tongue. The move had Katy snorting out a laugh.
“You just wait and see.” Katy playfully elbowed him, before laughing again at his pout. She’d laughed a lot since Con had returned. Smiled too. In fact, she couldn’t wipe the giddy grin off her face with the deliriously happy buzz she had happening. “Aww, boo, did that hurt?”
The smell of the pizza cooking in the wood fired ovens couldn’t be beaten. Inhaling deeply, Katy filled her lungs and hummed. Yeah, dinner. “Hello, lovely Katy and Levi.” After the usual chit chat with Tony, and introductions to Con, Tony instructed them to sit at a free booth.
“We’re taking away today,” Katy informed him, smiling.
It wasn’t long before their order was ready and they were taking it down to the sand. A bottle of cheap wine and pizza straight out of the cardboard box was their dinner, but the view was a million bucks. The glitter strip’s famous beachside towers at their backs, the three of them wandered down toward the water, white sand under their feet. The three-quarter moon sat high in the sky, illuminating their way as the ocean breeze caressed her skin. Both she and Levi loved this spot. They went there every chance they got. Stripping off their shirts, Levi and Connor spread them on the soft sand, using them as a blanket to place Connor’s guitar case on and, on that, the food, bottle of wine, and plastic cups. As they sat on the still-warm sand, a lone jogger ran past them much closer to the water-line, lost in the rhythm of the beat pumping through his headphones.
“God, I’ve missed this. Sand is so different when there’s an ocean to go with it, and no one’s trying to kill you. Rob was right. I did need to come home.”
“We’re glad you’re back, boo.” Katy grasped his hand and squeezed tightly. “We’ve missed you, and the thought of you being in danger every day was terrifying. Since you walked in that door, I’ve been able to breathe again. Lee too.”
“I’m sorry I worried you, Cupcake, but…” He hesitated. “…I needed to do it.” Connor looked down, and Katy stroked her thumb over his hand. “I dunno if I achieved what I set out to do, but it’s made me appreciate what we have here so much more. I don’t wanna waste any more time. I wanna start living.”
“Is that what your new tat’s about? A new beginning?” Levi asked gently.
“No, it’s a memorial piece.”
“Can we see it? Or is it too personal?”
“No, s’all good. Here.” He pointed to the back of his shoulder. “Peel back the plastic wrap and you’ll be able to see it properly.” It wasn’t the only tattoo Connor had. There was another on his side in small script. She couldn’t read the words in the dark, but she knew it was the code he lived by. The other, a full sleeve on his right arm, was an intricate Gaelic tribal tattoo celebrating his roots. Katy peered at his shoulder, and the image brought tears to her eyes. Heavy engineering boots, a rifle leaning against them, a combat helmet resting on the barrel, and a pair of dog tags hanging from the cartridge.
“Oh, boo.” Katy covered her mouth and sniffed, tears dripping onto her cheeks as her heart broke for him. Levi’s arm was instantly around her, but it wasn’t until Con did the same, holding her tightly, that the sobs escaped her. Burying her head against Con’s warm chest, Katy cried, mourning all their lost moments, their lost innocence, the life of the soldier Con was grieving for.
“Cupcake,” Con murmured as he stroked her hair. “It’s okay. Hush, baby.”
“Dude, I know it’s too painful to talk about now, but when you’re ready, we’d like to listen to your story.”
“Most of it’s classified. I can’t tell you much even if I wanted to relive it.”
Katy felt the movement of his shoulders as he shrugged.
“We don’t want mission details.” Levi paused. She could just imagine him shaking his head. “Can you talk to someone though? Someone with clearance?”
Con gently pulled Katy’s hair back off her shoulders, tucking a stray lock behind her ear. “I have been ever since it happened. But let’s eat. Don’t want it to get cold.” As much as Katy wanted him to talk, wanted to hear his story and to help him recover from those past torments, she wouldn’t push him into it before he was ready. There was no way she’d do that to him, so for now, she let the subject change drop. Hopefully, one day he’d open up to them.
Con reached down and snagged a slice from the box, passing it to her before reaching for another. Levi retold his story from his day on set, and as they ate, they laughed, relaxing together in the warm evening. Stories soon turned into reminiscing on the months they’d spent together before Con’s first deployment, and Katy could almost pinpoint the exact moment they fell back into their groove, finding their equilibrium and themselves at the same time. Her relationship with Levi was super strong. She loved him like no one else in the world, and she knew he felt the same, but there was always a missing piece, part of their hearts that wasn’t there. Now he was back. Now she could love her man, live without fear, without the possibility of death breathing down their necks. Con was safe—and damn, what a weight off their shoulders it was knowing that.
Pizza finished, Katy shifted, curling up against Levi’s side. Con began strumming away on his guitar, singing softly with the tunes he played. She always loved the classics, and Con’s rendition of Oasis’ “Wonderwall” made her shiver. He had the most beautiful voice.
Levi rubbed the goosebumps that had formed on her skin. “Let’s head home, sugar. You’re cold.”
“No, it’s so nice down here.” Katy shook her head and cuddled into Levi more, tugging Con to them. “Both of you just scoot closer and I’ll be fine.” The two men shifted, blanketing her in their warm bodies.
She couldn’t help her sigh of contentment when Con started playing again. “This is the life, isn’t it?”
“Fuck yeah,” Con answered immediately.
A month later
The three of them walked through the wire gate of the lot. The machine Katy spied parked there, between two beat-up Fords, was sex on wheels. A beautiful gunmetal grey, the classic sports car was restored to perfection. Con had spent nearly all day every day over the last month at his father’s old workshop, rebuilding it from the ground up. Katy smiled. He’d been doing okay—fewer nightmares and was somehow lighter, like he wasn’t carrying the weight of his time overseas around with him. Counselling and his focus on building new memories in the garage that had meant so much to his father were helping him to rediscover himself. And now, seeing the results, she couldn’t be happier that his hard work had paid off. It was… stunning.
He hadn’t done it alone. He’d had loads of help—Kevin, his father’s long-time business partner, was a master mechanic. The man loved American muscle cars as much as Con did. The beat-up old Shelby his father had imported was going to be their project car, but it’d never happened. Con’s mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer and lost her battle with the disease mere months after it’d arrived at the workshop. His father hadn’t coped well, drowning his grief in a bottle and prescription meds. Kevin had kept their business running while his father tried to drink himself into an early grave. It was only a matter of time after that that he’d disappeared into thin air. His body had shown up six months later floating down a river. He’d drowned, his body pumped full of the drugs and liquor he’d become addicted to. Con had mourned his loss once. Then, finding his body and knowing how he’d died had been even harder. Katy knew those demons still haunted him—he’d confided as much to her in one of their many emails to each other.
“Whatcha think?” Con asked them.
“Mate, she’s beautiful. You’ve done such a fantastic job.” The wide-eyed wonder in Levi’s gaze radiated pride. And Con should be proud. His work was as good as any mechanic’s in the shop, but he’d confessed to Katy that he couldn’t work there. Temporarily, it was okay, but he’d confided that the thought of following in his father’s footsteps made Connor’s skin crawl.
“Thanks, Lee. We’re really happy with it.”
“I think I want to make love to this car. Or in it,” Katy murmured absentmindedly, as she ran her fingertips over its sleek roofline. And she wasn’t joking. It was sensual, downright erotic.
Katy looked over to Con and saw the heat bloom in his eyes, his nostrils flare as he watched her stroke the car. It was wrong, she knew it, but damn it turned her on to be the object of his desire. She followed his gaze as it tracked from her to Levi who was leaning in the open door, checking out the interior. The play of Levi’s muscles under the white polo shirt had Katy licking her lips. Following the swell of his arse in the khaki shorts he wore—his rock-solid glutes flexing as he shifted—had Katy biting back a moan. She loved every inch of her man. And she wasn’t the only one staring at him. Con had followed her line of sight and was watching, apparently riveted, by the way Levi moved. She shivered, feeling the heat in Con’s gaze down to her bones as he took in Levi’s form. God, that look, the sheer devotion Con had to him, was one of beauty. They were a team, so why had she agreed to set Con up with her friend? That night. What was she thinking?
Her friend had practically begged Katy to set her up with Con when she’d posted a picture of him and Levi on Insta. Miranda was totally sweet, a great catch for the right guy. How could Katy resist her when they’d been friends for years? But something didn’t feel right. It was as if she was encouraging Con to leave them again. I’m being ridiculous.
Shopping with him and helping him pick clothes for his date made her head spin, getting her all mixed up. The place Miranda had suggested for dinner was so unlike Con that it made her cringe. He was a faded jeans and tee kinda guy—usually grey, but it varied between that and black or white—not the suave suit-wearing CEO lookalike that was standing before her modelling his outfit. She nodded her approval, albeit reluctantly.
His dark eyes flashed and he fingered the cuffs of his dark grey shirt, adjusting them under the black jacket he wore. “I’m nervous about this date, Katy,” Con said quietly, keeping out of earshot from the people standing nearby. “It’s been so damn long since I’ve done this, and I never do blind dates. How’d you even persuade me?”
“Boo, you need to get out there. Find your happiness.” But he’s happy with us. He doesn’t have to date to be happy. Katy forced herself to end that line of thought. Again. It wasn’t the first time she’d run through the argument in her own mind. Maybe that was why she was so messed up. He deserved so much more in life. Stopping him from dating would keep Con from the intimacy that went with being in a relationship. And that wasn’t fair. Just being friends with them wasn’t enough. He deserved the world.
He sighed. “You’re right. Maybe I should get back out there.”
“Trust me. You’re perfect for each other.” The words sounded forced even to her own ears, and she was sure her smile was more of a grimace.
“Famous last words,” he mumbled before letting the change room curtain fall back in place.