Page 46 of Austin

He shrugs. “It probably didn’t help that I asked after she threw a shoe at me for coming home at four in the morning.”

I rise, cross my arms over my chest, and appraise him. “You proposed to your girl to win an argument?”

He takes another drag. “No. I was gonna do it eventually. She just has this wild look in her eyes when she’s mad. I fucking love it.”

With a laugh, I shake my head at my friend, who is a goner for a girl who is as less likely to be tamed as he is. Kind of reminds me of my own pain in the ass. When Jalynn gets mad, she gets this cocky stance with her shoulders back, and her chin held high, as if her five-foot-five frame is going to measure up to me at six foot two. She’s a spitfire, all right. One whose mouth I want to taste over and over again.

Gregg walks around the car and appraises the detail. “Missed a spot.”

I flick him the finger. “What brings you here, to the illustrious Sexton building?”

Gregg is the only non-Sexton employee or tenant who can enter the building. I had an ID badge made for him last year, so he could have access to my cars.

“Paying a visit to my best friend. I just got off the phone with some of the guys. They were with Tyler’s mom. And would you believe that an anonymous donor paid off her mortgage?” His tone is sarcastic, but his face is serious.

“Good for her. I know Tyler was helping her out. Now, she doesn’t have to worry about the bills.”

Gregg leans forward, placing his two hands on top of the hood of my car. “You don’t have to pay a penance, man.”

I toss him the rag. “Wipe your grubby paw prints off my car.”

He takes it and runs it over the hood, smoothing out the marks his fingers left on the freshly waxed roof. “I mean it, Austin. Paying for the funeral was awesome, but this just reads like you’re guilty. We ran a race. Tyler was there and crashed on the way home. I hate what happened, too, but if this is some sort of personal—”

“I didn’t do it because I felt guilty,” I stop him before he continues his diatribe. “I just happen to know how much it fucking sucks to lose someone suddenly like that. Grieving is hard enough. How she’s gonna pay the bills should be the least of her worries right now.”

He flicks his finished cigarette out the open garage door. “I didn’t think about your mom.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not your job to.”

His hands are now in his pockets as he solemnly nods at me. I catch his eyes wandering over to the other four cars in the garage—Porsche 911 GT3 RS, McLaren 570S, Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, and Beckett’s 1964 ½ Mustang, which Jalynn still hasn’t picked up and I haven’t asked why. Each has been buffed and shone even though some haven’t hit the streets in weeks.

“You okay, man? I haven’t heard from you in a few days.”

I lean my hip against the car and wipe my hands on the T-shirt I changed into when I first entered the garage. “Keeping tabs on me?”

“Usually, you get the itch by now. Surprised I didn’t see you at Sonoma raceway last night.”

Gregg’s right. Since I got home from the Marines, I’ve found myself as a constant fixture on the racing circuit. If I’m not behind the wheel, I am at the gate, watching every turn and hard brake, scouting the next recruit for the underground drag races Gregg and I have been hosting. Aside from racing Beckett for pinks, I haven’t had the desire.

A stupid grin crooks his face as he asks, “What’s her name?”

“What are you talking about?”

“The girl whose got you thinking with your cock and not your head?”

I clench my fist at that statement. “Watch your mouth, asshole.”

He laughs like he’s proud of himself for getting me all riled up. “Damn. She must be pretty special.” There’s still a big-ass smile on his face as he points a finger at me. “For the record, your head is so messed up; thinking with your cock is actually a good thing. What’s her name?”

My jaw is still clenched even though I know he’s kidding. “None of your business.”

He stops laughing and stands still, looking back at me like I just told him I sold my Corvette for a dollar, and then he slightly shakes his head. “I never thought I’d see the day you fell hard for a girl.”

“No one’s falling over here. The only girl in my life is a pain in the ass who can’t keep her mouth shut.”

“What color eyes does she have?”

“Hazel,” I answer too quickly.