Celina (Connelly Cousins #1) (18 page)

J
amie heaved a heavy sigh, watching as his older brother sped out of sight, on a mission to find Lina. He had mixed feelings about that. On the one hand, he knew Kyle would be successful. On the other hand... he knew Kyle would be successful.

Because Kyle never failed at anything he put his mind to.

Jamie shook his head and got back into his car, disgusted with himself. They weren’t kids anymore, and he was too old to be running to Kyle with his problems. He should be the one looking for Celina, because Celina was his.

Or was she?

He had been dating Celina for months, yet Kyle had managed to learn more about her in a few short weeks than he had in all that time. How was that even possible? Kyle wasn’t exactly the type of man who spent untold hours wining and dining a woman, or entire evenings in a coffee house discussing literature, as he had. So how did Kyle know about Celina’s best friend? And her brother? And what was the significance of the lake he’d mentioned?

Jamie hit the steering wheel in frustration. The irony of the situation wasn’t lost on him. He’d gone to Kyle to find out how to get into Celina’s pants, and Kyle – the man-whoring, bad boy biker – had somehow won a much greater prize – her confidence.

One thing was for certain – Jamie was going to do things differently. And he was going to start by getting some answers. He put the car in drive and headed to Amy’s Book Shoppe.

K
yle cruised toward the mountain, his bike a natural extension of his body. The air was fresh and cool against his skin, the rumble of the Harley soothing against the jagged edges of his pain. His sweet, perfect Lina was gone. No one had seen her for days. And it was all his fault.

He was going to make it right.

Kyle had a near-photographic memory. Very few people knew that; it wasn’t something he bragged about. It had served him well. He could look at practically any machine, any engine, and recreate it. The numbers and photos of part numbers were always readily accessible. It was one of the things that made him such an excellent mechanic. It also meant that he could easily find his way to within a mile of Lina’s family cabin.

He figured he’d start where they had been before and work his way around from there. He made a few stops around town first, getting everything he’d need. This time, he wasn’t leaving anything to chance.

By the time he reached the lake, the sun was low in the sky, casting multi-hued rays of golds, reds, oranges, and pinks across the tranquil water. He parked the bike and walked to the secluded spot where they had sat side by side beneath the full moon. He hadn’t really expected to find her there, but that didn’t stop him from feeling a pang of disappointment when she wasn’t.

What
was
there was the small red blanket they’d spread out beneath them. Lina had been in such a hurry to leave she hadn’t bothered to take it with her. Their first real kiss had taken place on that blanket. So had their first fight.

Kyle lifted it and shook it out. Then he folded it carefully and put it in his pack. They would be using it again.

He turned around and scanned the shoreline and the sloped, forested land that bordered the water, getting his bearings. The scenery would have been breathtaking, if only Lina had been there to share it with him. She would delight over the colors of the sunset, or point out the way the mountains reflected in the water. Her green eyes would light up, her features would soften, and she’d gift him with one of those shy smiles ... Kyle closed his eyes and rubbed at the ache in his chest, the one that had begun when he’d let her walk out his door and had only grown worse since.

Lina made him see the world differently. Through her eyes, it was a much nicer place. She was a grown woman, yes. Incredibly hot and sexy, yes. But somehow she managed to retain the innocence of youth as evidenced by her inherent kindness and optimism, and he had punished her for it. Called her a liar and worse, all because he had stopped believing in fairy tales and happy endings a long time ago.

Right about the time his family was cruelly and suddenly ripped apart.

The reality was, life didn’t always give you the happy ever after. Losing the people you loved hurt. Whether they left of their own accord or not, they took a part of you with them.

But it hadn’t been Lina who’d left, had it? He’d pushed her away, all but telling her not to let the door hit her in the ass on the way out. What was wrong with him? He might not be the poster boy for ideal husband material, but no one would love Lina more than he did, or try harder to make her happy. And wasn’t that the most important thing?

Why had it been so hard for him to believe she was exactly what she said she was? Hadn’t she proven time and time again that she wore her heart on her sleeve? With Lina, what he saw was what he got. No head games, no lies, no false personas. Just Lina. His beautiful, lovely, sexy, wild, innocent Lina.

And she was his. Every cell in his body was in unanimous agreement on that.

He had to find her. He refused to think of the last words she’d spoken to him, because he simply could not accept them. He could not stand the thought of another man taking her innocence. What if she really believed that’s what he wanted?

She had offered him a precious gift, and he had refused. How fucking stupid could he be? He’d blown it, big time. He’d panicked, plain and simple, at the thought of sharing something more meaningful than a one-nighter.

But who was he kidding? He was already a goner. Had been from the first time he’d met her. She was the missing part of his soul, and without her, he was barely hanging on. Denial was no longer an option.

Kyle started circling the lake in a clockwise direction, checking out each cut-off and trail that branched out from the main road. Lina told him that her family’s cabin was only a mile or so away from where they’d sat beneath the moon and stars, so he knew it couldn’t be too far.

Darkness had fallen by the time he found what he thought was the right place. Luckily, his hypersensitivity to light also provided him with excellent night vision, otherwise he might have missed the turn-off. The entrance to the private drive was barely visible, and it only caught his eye because of the flattened grass and weeds at the side of the road. Kyle downshifted and made the turn, following the recently made tire tracks along the narrow lane of crushed gravel.

“Cabin” was not a term Kyle would have picked to describe the structure he found at the end of the long, curving driveway.  “High-class lodge” was more like it, exactly the kind of place a man who built things for a living would craft for his own family. The home was two stories, built of dark red cedar. The lower level boasted plenty of floor-to-ceiling windows and a deck that extended most, if not all the way around.

He cut the engine and listened. Soft lights shone from in and around the place; music wafted out from the back of the house. The whiskey-roughened tones of one of his favorite bands was crooning the ache of a broken heart.

Amen, brother.

Lina was here. She had to be.

A first glance at the open garage showed a shiny black Land Rover, but no Jag. Taking a few steps inside, Kyle was able to see that the Rover was parked in front of her custom cycle, blocking it in. Kyle frowned. Something told him he was
not
going to like the owner of the Rover.

Kyle walked up to the front door. Taking a deep breath, he pressed his finger to the doorbell and heard the soft, muted chimes within, followed by the distinct murmur of voices – one male and one female. When a minute passed and no one opened the door, he laid on the bell again. He’d come this far, he wasn’t leaving until he saw Lina. Until he knew that she was safe. Until he said what he had to say.

After another failed doorbell attempt, Kyle resorted to pounding the side of his fist against the heavy oak. It took a few minutes, but the door was eventually opened by a large, muscular man wearing swim trunks.

Yep. Instant hate
.

The guy glared down at him. “Yeah? What the fuck do you want?”

Kyle had to look up slightly, which put the guy at around six-five or six-six, easy. He had dark hair, slightly damp, curled up on the ends so that it just touched his shoulders. Muscles rippled under muscles, and intense green eyes stared down at him. Something about the guy seemed familiar, but Kyle couldn’t place him.

Fucking great.
This guy had male model written all over him. And if he so much as touched Lina he was a dead man.

“I’m here to see Lina.” The man didn’t seem surprised, but his eyes narrowed and grew a shade cooler.

“Lina’s busy.” Model-guy started closing the door but Kyle wedged his steel-toed boot over the threshold. The guy looked down at Kyle’s foot, then into Kyle’s face. His expression said,
I can’t believe you were stupid enough to do that.

“It’s important. My name is-”

“I know who you are, fuckhead.” Green eyes glowed at him.

“Michael, who is it?” Lina’s voice called from somewhere inside, and Kyle’s heart dropped into his boots. There was a lot of affection in her voice.  

“Nobody.”
Michael
’s voice was low and deep. His eyes never left Kyle’s, but his mouth twitched. The son of a bitch was waiting for a reaction, but Kyle wasn’t quite ready to give him one. Yet.

“What do you want?” he asked again.

“I want to see Lina.”

“Yes, we’ve established that. I want to know
why
.”

Kyle was getting more pissed off by the second, but
Michael
acted like he could stand there all night. “That’s between me and Lina. Who the fuck are you, anyway?”

The man at the door smiled, but there was nothing friendly about it. His lips curled up at the ends revealing perfect white teeth, like a jaguar who’d just spotted his dinner. After hanging around bikers for the last dozen years or so, Kyle knew how to tell the posers from the real thing, and there was no doubt in his mind that this guy was the real deal.

It didn’t make a lick of difference. It wasn’t in Kyle’s nature to be intimidated. He only had one thing on his mind, and nothing was going to stop him. If things got messy, so be it.

“Who the fuck am I? I’m the fucker who should kill you where you stand for daring to even come near her again.”

Kyle wished he could dispute that logic, but he couldn’t. “No argument there.”

His answer seemed to please the guy, given his amused smirk.
Asshole.
This guy held all the cards, and they both knew it.

“Look, nobody has to tell me I fucked up. But I need to talk to Lina. One word from her and I’m outta here, man, I swear it.” And then he would find some other way to reach her, because giving up was not an option.

“No.”

Kyle opened his mouth to argue but Michael held up his hand. “I said you couldn’t
talk
to Lina. But you can
listen.
” Kyle wasn’t sure exactly what that meant, but if it got him in the door without blood and a few busted knuckles, he was all for it.

Michael stepped back and allowed Kyle to enter. The moment he did, Kyle was hit with the scent of cedar and chlorine. He glanced around, reluctantly impressed by the sheer size of the room. It was even classier on the inside than the outside. Hardwood floors with expensive-looking throw rugs. Quality furnishings. But no Lina.

Michael led him to the far corner of the sunken living room, and pointed to a seat hidden in the shadows. “It’s about fucking time you showed up,” he muttered quietly as he pinned his glare back on Kyle. “Now listen to me, fuckhead. You sit here, and you don’t move, you hear me? Don’t shift, don’t sneeze, don’t scratch your balls. And don’t make one goddamned sound. Got it?”

Kyle narrowed his eyes and clenched his jaw, but nodded. If he hadn’t been so desperate to see Lina he would have been all over this guy. Nobody talked to him like that, not even men who had a very distinct
Call of Duty
aura about them, like this guy did.

“I’m warning you, man. This is your last chance. Don’t make me kill you.” Michael stalked off and Kyle sat down with a scowl. Somehow he sensed Michael would like nothing better than to do exactly that. If Kyle’s worst nightmare had come true and this guy had taken Lina’s innocence, he might let him. But he wasn’t going down alone. He would take the bastard with him.

A few minutes later, Michael re-entered the room carrying Lina in his arms. Kyle stiffened, but Michael shot him a warning glance and he forced himself to calm down. Michael settled into a large sofa in front of the fire, in perfect view. He continued to hold Lina, who snuggled against him.

Michael plucked a towel from his shoulder and began to dry her off, patting her arms and legs gently as she reclined against the arm of the sofa, her feet in his lap. She wore a simple, conservative one-piece bathing suit, and looked
amazing
. Water droplets hung from the tips of her golden curls, and her tanned skin was flushed. Surprisingly, the man’s touch was gentle, not at all like what Kyle would have expected with Lina so close to him. A glimmer of hope shot through Kyle.
Maybe this Michael guy was gay.

“Why did you make me get out of the hot tub, Michael? I like the hot tub.” Lina’s voice sounded off; when she spoke it was in kind of a sing-song manner. Was she drunk? Had this guy been taking advantage of her? Kyle’s hands clenched into fists.

“I know you like the hot tub, but it’s not good to stay in there too long. Especially when you’ve been drinking.” Michael’s voice was soft and soothing, a direct contrast to the harsher tones he’d used when speaking to Kyle.

“I’m not very good at holding my liquor, Michael.”

“No, you pretty much suck at it. I told you to stay away from the liquor cabinet, didn’t I?”

“Yes, you did. I’m sorry, Michael.” Lina sounded like a scolded child, snuggling her head into the sofa as if it would protect her.

“Turn over and let me dry your back.” Lina did, with some difficulty and requiring a bit of steadying assistance from Michael. The guy was huge. He handled Lina like she was little more than a rag doll, but, Kyle noted with grudging respect, he did so with extreme care.