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“Hey, you were great last night. I don’t think I’ve seen a guy on an acoustic guitar get people dancing before.”
“You and Katy were the only ones most of the night, and you were slow dancing. Doesn’t exactly count as rocking the crowd, but Tracey must’ve liked it. I got the gig.”
“That’s awesome.” Levi clapped him on the back, his hand lingering and squeezing his shoulder. He stood much closer than he normally did and Connor’s eyes slid closed, a craving for the other man coursing through him. Levi’s murmured words sent a prickle of awareness through him. “Told you you’re good. Don’t talk yourself out of it.”
“Thanks, man.” Connor’s voice was husky, raw from all the feels ripping him apart.
Dropping his hand, Levi stepped back and Connor could breathe again. “Can I ask you a personal question?” When Connor nodded, he continued. “Did your Prince Albert—that’s your piercing, yeah?—did it hurt?”
“Not as much as you’d think. The other ones were worse—not pain wise, but they took longer to heal.”
“I’ve thought about nipple rings but, you know—work.” He shrugged.
Connor turned to face him, his brows knitted in confusion. Levi held himself back so much because of his damn job—tattoos, piercings, bike—anything he wanted to express himself with was a no-go. “Do they have your balls in a vice? Why are they so uppity about what you can and can’t do?”
“I’ve got a morals clause in my contract. If I so much as think about doing the wrong thing, they’ll fire me. None of the stuff I want is worth my job.”
He nodded, finally understanding. “That sucks.”
“A bit, but it’s a trade-off.” Looking at his watch, he groaned. “I’m late. Gotta go.” Grinning at Connor, Levi’s face transformed, and Con’s breath caught. Levi’s radiant smile had his heart stuttering. “See you tonight, honey.” Connor lunged for him as Levi snatched a piece of crispy bacon from the pan and bit down on it. Laughing, Lee winked at him and jogged out the door, Connor grumbling good naturedly under his breath.
Connor was still wiping his hands on the rag he kept in the back pocket of his coveralls as he walked to the shop for lunch. Sweat beaded on his brow and ran down between his shoulder blades. He’d unbuttoned the coveralls and wore the arms tied around his waist. He hoped no one minded him not wearing a shirt, but it was as hot as the devil’s arse crack walking down the street. He was picking up the orders for everyone—it was the least he could do to say thank you to his father’s old partner when he was using their tools, their time and their space to rebuild Levi’s bike. It still wasn’t even close to being finished, but at least he’d started it. He’d sent the fuel tank away to be primed for painting, and some other parts were still on order, but there was plenty of wiring and reassembly of engine parts that he could do in the meantime. He didn’t notice Miranda until she stepped directly in his path. “Hi, gorgeous. How are you?”
“Hey, Miranda. I’m good. How’re you?”
“Great now that I’ve seen you. You have plans tonight? I’m stopping to get a drink before I go home. Maybe you could join me. Or you could come over for a nightcap.” She smiled sweetly at him, but he wasn’t fooled. Connor unsuccessfully tried to bite back his laughter. Underneath the sweet exterior, she had the mind of a vixen. Maybe she was exactly who he needed to spend time with rather than fixating on his impossible-to-get best friends. Seeing his hesitation, she added, “Or we could hang at Levi’s party tomorrow?”
“That’d work better. I’ve been in the workshop all day so I probably won’t be great company tonight, but tomorrow night’s great.”
“Fine,” she sighed, rolling her eyes but grinning at him. “Pick me up tomorrow night.”
“Will do.” Connor smiled but stepped back when she went to kiss him. “I’m all sweaty and greasy. You don’t want to get dirty.”
FIVE
Katy
Katy sipped her juice and looked out across the dancefloor of the sports bar. They were in a converted warehouse overlooking the river. The deck outside had a spectacular view of the Surfers Paradise skyline to the east. They were in the quieter end of town, but the bar had a great vibe. All distressed timber and deep red bricks with heavy steel beams and walls of glass, the place was modern, yet had the charm of a restored building.
Leaning against a high table made of heavy railway sleepers, she watched as the DJ spun records on the turntable, old school style, and moved to the beat of the heavy dance music pumping out of the speakers. Their friends were gathered around them laughing and drinking, quite a few dancing too. Katy should have been happy—everyone was enjoying themselves—but her heart was heavy. She’d had fun the night before—probably too much.
It was late when she’d walked in the door to find Levi and Con, feet propped up on the coffee table, drinking ginger beer and watching a rerun of a championship boxing match. Empty bottles littered the table and she’d raised an eyebrow at them until Lee had cracked open another one and held it up for her, while Con patted the couch between them. Pizza had arrived a few minutes later, and with the boys clearing the table and answering the front door, Katy had flipped the channel toThe Big Bang Theory, hid the remote and pulled the table closer so she could put her feet up. There wasn’t even a murmur of dissent when they’d re-joined her on the couch. Instead, the boys had gotten comfortable, handed her a slice, and made a marathon of the old reruns.
The wait-staff placed Levi’s cake on the biggest table in their sectioned-off area and waved at her. Katy nodded and smiled as she walked over to them. She liked how it turned out—totally different to what she was used to making, but that was half the fun. A football field complete with plastic Maroons and Blues players, painted on sponsors’ logos and a scoreboard reflecting Queensland’s last win in the State of Origin, was a nice change to what she was used to working with. She’d applied the finishing touches the night before, while she was still riding the high from the interview she’d rocked with Australian Bride. Katy smiled as she pressed the sparklers into the cake, ready to light them when Levi eventually made his way back to her.
She scanned the dancefloor checking where he was. Her eyes landed on Con and Miranda. Drink in hand, Con had his other wrapped tight around her waist as they moved as one on the floor. Miranda straddled his leg, her hands in his back pockets while they danced, the same way they had been all night. And Katy hadn’t been able to take her eyes off him. Between he and Levi—who was avoiding the dancefloor like the plague—her attention had been split. Annoyed at herself for not enjoying the night she’d worked so hard to plan, Katy dragged her eyes away and searched the rest of the area.
An arm getting thrown around her shoulder and the flash of a camera startled Katy. Sarah, her friend, stood next to her taking a selfie. Katy pushed away from her and pursed her lips, irritated at herself for her reaction to her friend.
“What’s up, Katy?”
“Nothing.” Even she could hear how sullen she sounded.
“You’re being shitty.” Sarah hiked up her eyebrows daring Katy to respond and when she didn’t, Sarah continued. “You’ve been shooting daggers at Connor all night. Sick of him in your space?”
“What? No.” Katy shook her head. “He’s great….” She didn’t know how to put into words what was going on in her head, wasn’t sure if she’d share it with Sarah anyway. “He’s not imposing on us at all. He’s smart and sweet, and we love having him with us.”
“So what’s the problem then?”
