Falling for the Wingman (The Kelly Brothers, Book 3) (13 page)

She swallowed hard and nodded. “Like I told you, I’m not cut out to be a military wife. I wanted more than you could give me.”

“Then I’m glad you found someone who could give you what I couldn’t.” He took the two cans of soda. “I’ll take these for the road.”

When he returned to the front parlor, he found Alex watching him with the same uncertainty and fear he’d glimpsed in her so many times since arriving in Jackson Grove. Now it was time to put her mind at ease. He was finally able to put Kourtney behind him and move forward. “Let’s go, Alex.”

“Where?”

“I don’t care.” He tossed her the keys to his Camaro. “You get to drive, though.”

Her face lit up like a kid’s on Christmas. “You’re letting me get behind the wheel?”

“Yep. It’s time we start fulfilling some of those fantasies of yours.” And do it without the whole town spying on them.

Kourtney stormed out of the kitchen. “Now wait just one minute. I told you to leave, Caleb, but I need Alex here to finish my wedding favors.”

“No, you don’t. You made it quite obvious you think Alex’s presence is more of a hindrance than anything else, and I think she deserves to be treated better than that.” He stepped between the two sisters again and ushered Alex to the door. “Your chariot awaits.”

Alex dashed for the door, the keys jangling in her hands.

He turned around and gave Kourtney an honest smile. “Thank you. You’ve just kept me from making a huge mistake.”

“And yet you’re still determined to ruin my wedding, aren’t you?”

“Not at all. I’m just going to let Alex have some much-deserved fun.” He started backing toward the front door. “Maybe I’ll stick around long enough to see you walk down the aisle and wish you well.”

But right now, all he cared about was seeing where things went with the one woman who revved up his heart like a classic muscle car engine.

****

I must be fucking dreaming
.

Alex ran her hand over the steering wheel and pressed the gas a few more times. The Camaro vibrated with a sexy growl that was even more powerful than she’d imagined. The hairs on her arm rose in excitement, and butterflies danced in her stomach.

Caleb hopped into the passenger seat. “How far away is Atlanta from here?”

“One and a half, maybe two hours, depending on traffic. Why?”

“Because you and I are going to have a night out on the town.” He pulled out his phone. “I thought you wanted to see what this car can do.”

“I do, but I’d rather know what you’re up to.”
And what my sister said to you in the kitchen.

“Just drive while I make a few calls.”

“Yes, sir.” She slipped her Bluetooth headset into her ear and threw the car into reverse. The car shot out the driveway like a cannon. A minute later, she was flying down the two-lane highway out of town.

She was so focused on the thrill of driving the Camaro that she’d missed the hushed conversation Caleb had on his cell. He hung up just as she sped toward a waiting police car on the side of the road.

“Slow down, Alex. You don’t want a ticket.”

“It’s just J.T.” To prove her point, she rolled down the window and waved as she passed him.

Caleb’s face paled as though he expected the lights and sirens to be on their tails any second now, but instead her phone rang. She pressed the accept button without even checking to see who was calling. “Hey, J.T.”

“Please say that was you driving that Camaro.”

“Nice, huh?”

“Damn straight. I’ll let you off the hook this time because that is such a sweet ride, but you’d better slow down before you get to Moffit’s Crossroads. There’s a super trooper waiting there.”

“Thanks for the heads up.” She eased up on the accelerator. “Talk to you later.”

“Yeah, you’d better. I want to know what driving that machine was like.” J.T. hung up with a laugh.

She turned to Caleb. “See? Nothing to worry about.”

“Point taken. Once again, you’ve proven you know this town.” He settled back in his seat and set his phone on his lap. “Enjoying it?”

“Too much. There’s no chance you’d be willing to sell me this baby, is there?”

“Not as long as I’m breathing.”

She slowed down to the speed limit as she approached the area J.T. had warned her about. “So, what happened in the kitchen?”

“I got most of my questions answered.”

Her insides knotted. “And?”

“And I think you deserve a night away from the drama so we can just be ourselves.”

“We had a chance to be ourselves at Bubba’s last night.”

He closed his eyes, and a hint of a smile played on his lips. “Just drive.”

“So you’re not going to tell me what Kourtney said?”

“Maybe, but first, I need to make sense of it all. Besides, I told her I’d leave town if she answered my questions, and I figured my wingman could come with me.”

“And what’s the plan?”

His smile widened, but his eyes still remained closed. “I’ll let you know in a bit. By the way, after seeing the way you handle this car, I’ve finally come up with a call sign for you.”

“What?”

“‘Hot Wheels.’”

She laughed and merged onto the interstate, heading toward Atlanta.

They were about twenty miles into Georgia when his phone rang. This time, she hung on every word of his conversation.

“What do you have for me?” he asked and nodded a few times before adding, “The Four Seasons, huh? Nice.” A few more sounds of agreement followed. “And dinner at STK? Wow, you’ve outdone yourself, Frank.”

Her mind started filling in the blanks. Caleb’s brother, Frank, was a linebacker for the Atlanta Wildcats. That must be who he was talking to, but it didn’t explain the mention of the hotel or the restaurant.

“Thanks again,” Caleb continued. “I’m looking forward to tonight.” He hung up the phone with a huge grin.

“Care to tell me what your plan is now?”

“I’m taking you out for a night on the town.”

She squirmed in her seat. This was sounding like more than just a night on the town. “Like a thank-you gift or something?”

His grin faded, and his eyes darkened with the same desire she’d witnessed last night. “Maybe. Maybe not. It just depends on where things go.”

Her nipples hardened. If she had her way, they’d be heading straight to the hotel room and not leaving until morning. “You don’t have to go all out to impress me, Caleb. You’ve seen how I like to spend my evenings. I’m just a simple country girl.”

He chuckled. “There’s nothing simple about you. And please, just humor me. I want to treat you to something nice.”

“Why?”

“Because you deserve nice things, Alex, and don’t let anyone make you believe you don’t.”

“I never have. Besides, this is my idea of nice things—driving a classic car, getting away from my sister’s wedding madness…”
Spending time with you
.

“Are you saying you want to turn back?”

She shook her head. “I’m just letting you know that unlike Kourtney, you don’t have to drop a few grand to impress me.”

“I know.” He closed his eyes again. “But since you saved me a few hundred bucks on the B&B—”

“Miss Martha told you about that, huh?”

“She mentioned you two had worked out a deal. You didn’t have to do that, you know.”

“I know, but she was putting you up for a few nights at the last minute and couldn’t afford the entire repair bill for her car, so it just worked out that way.” She glanced down at her worn jeans. “And in truth, I’m a little worried I may be underdressed for a night on the town.”

He cracked open one eye and looked her over. “You’ll have time to go shopping. I’ll give you some cash when we get into town.”

She groaned and bit back to the urge to tell him what she really wanted. “I’m going to have to get a dress, aren’t I?”

His grin returned. “I didn’t say that. In fact, you looked pretty good this afternoon wearing nothing at all.”

Her cheeks grew warm. “I doubt they’ll let me parade around Midtown like Lady Godiva.”

“Too bad.” He shifted in his seat. “On second thought, that’s probably a good thing. I’d have to fight off too many horny guys.”

She rolled her eyes and laughed. “And if I don’t find anything I like and end up dining like this?”

“Then I’m okay with that, so long as I get to eat a nice dinner with you.”

The pitter-patter of her heart quickened, and her hope returned. Maybe this was his way of showing her that he was over her sister and wanted her. “And at the hotel?”

That sexy grin returned. “Dinner first.”

And if she was lucky, dessert would totally make up for having to dress up for dinner.

Chapter Nine

Caleb reached into his pocket and rubbed his lucky charm just before entering the crowded lobby of STK, one of the elite steakhouses in Atlanta. He scanned the room for Alex, but when he didn’t see her, he made his way to the hostess stand and gave his name.

“Your party’s already here,” she said with a smile, and some of the tension eased from his shoulders.

When he’d dropped Alex off at Lenox Square, he’d half expected her to bolt, especially since he knew she hated dressing up. Part of him felt bad about taking her to a place where she couldn’t wear her jeans, but Frank had made the reservation, not him.

He followed the hostess upstairs to the quieter dining room and searched for Alex. But the table she led him to had an entirely different redhead waiting for him.

Frank.

“Caleb!” His brother jumped from his chair and wrapped Caleb in a massive bear hug, which was easy enough for Frank to do. He had a good four inches of height and seventy pounds of muscle on him, perfect for knocking quarterbacks to the turf during football season. “It’s good to see you back in one piece.” He paused and gave him a teasing grin. “You are in one piece, right?”

“Yeah, pretty sure I am.” Although his heart was a total wreck now. “What are you doing here?”

“What do you think I’m doing? Having dinner with my big brother.”

“That’s nice and all, but I think I hinted that I wanted to take a girl out for a nice dinner.”

“Are you saying she won’t have a good time with me? Maybe we can share her, eh?” he continued to tease with a playful nudge.

“No, Frank, I was serious.” He slid into the booth, wondering what else could go wrong tonight. “I wanted to have some time alone with Alex.”
And find out if she was the one behind those emails, because if she was…

He gulped. Could it really be as simple as that? Could he have been in love with her all this time and never realized it?

Frank stared past him, his jaw going slack. “And I can see why.”

Caleb turned around and had to do a double take at the woman standing in front of him. Alex had always been cute, but now she was absolutely stunning. A sparkling clip pulled her auburn hair out of her face and allowed it to tumble down around her shoulders. A strapless silver dress enhanced her modest curves and ended just below her ass. That, combined with high heels the same metallic shade, made her shapely legs seem to go on forever.

He stood up, unable to take his eyes off her. “You look nice, Alex. Real nice.”

A smile brightened her face far more than the modest makeup she’d put on. “Thanks, Caleb.” She shoved a wad of bills into his hand. “Here’s your change from my shopping trip.”

Frank chose that moment to interrupt. “Hi, I’m Frank, Caleb’s much handsomer and very available younger brother.” He took her hand and placed a kiss on it. “And who are you, lovely lady?”

She turned to Caleb with an arched brow. “Is he always this full of shit?”

Her quip instantly lifted his mood and made him forget about his disappointment. “Sometimes he’s worse.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and placed a kiss on her temple, inhaling the seductive perfume she’d worn tonight. “Sorry, bro, but she’s with me.”

“There’s still a chance I can change her mind.” Frank retreated back to his seat. “She’s definitely a step up from your last girlfriend.”

Alex pressed her twitching lips together, laughter dancing in her whiskey
-
colored eyes, but all Caleb wanted to do was smack his brother.

She slid into the booth next to him and immediately started talking football with Frank. Any worries he had about the evening vanished. The conversation was as seamless as it had been last night with her friends. No snobbery. No awkwardness. It was like she’d always been part of the family.

And so very different than her sister, who’d barely managed to hold a civil conversation with any member of his family.

As dinner went on, the discussion turned to classic cars, and Alex started describing the updates she was making to her Roadrunner. “I’m working on deactivating some of the cylinders so when I don’t need that much power, I can save gas.”

Frank’s brows furrowed. “Sounds complicated.”