Unraveling Read online

  It took everything in my power to walk out of that room. I would have preferred to shut the door and toss her on the bed.

  But that would have to come later.

  That, I could definitely promise.

  Chapter Two

  Sebastian

  Twenty minutes later, after Aaron grabbed his jacket from his little girly car and Chloe and Payton argued with him in the darkened apartment complex parking lot about who he would ride with, the three of them finally decided that Aaron would go with us.

  Watching him cram his tall, lanky body into the backseat of my Camaro had me holding back a laugh. Not that Toby’s car would’ve provided more leg room. Toby had arrived in his ’69 Camaro SS, and when I quietly informed him where I intended to go, his face had lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. Without a word, he had dragged Chloe to his car and helped her in, his eyes continuing to dart back to me. He was excited, there was no doubt about that.

  The mood in my car was somber, thanks to Aaron and his pissy attitude. Payton wasn’t talking much, either, so I didn’t have to tell either of them where we were going. No one had questioned the fact that we were taking two cars, either. Then again, it wasn’t like we could have taken one car in the first place. No one had one big enough to hold five people comfortably, so taking two made sense, and I wanted to keep our destination a secret for a little while longer.

  When everyone was safely inside their respective vehicle, I made my way out of the parking lot, took a left toward the toll road. Hitting the entrance ramp at eighty, I headed south, back toward my house, but I had no intention of going home. I wanted to show Payton something, and this was the perfect opportunity. The fact that Toby was there was only an added bonus.

  I was just about to turn up the radio to fill some of the deafening silence in the car when Payton rotated in her seat and looked back at Aaron. I darted a glance her way, then checked on Aaron in the rearview mirror.

  Oh, crap.

  I didn’t know every one of Payton’s expressions just yet, but I did know women. That look meant she wasn’t at all ready to drop the discussion from earlier. She was clearly curious, and she was ready to ask questions.

  I kind of felt sorry for Aaron.

  Kind of.

  “So, what happened?” Payton’s question was as loaded as they came, which I found comical. Glancing in the rearview mirror again, I saw Aaron roll his eyes, but he wasn’t smiling. He clearly wasn’t much on talking about the event that had caused his earlier tirade, but I got the feeling Payton was persistent, which was the main reason he looked like he was ready to give in.

  “Mark’s a bastard.”

  “Well, that’s a given,” Payton agreed. “But that doesn’t tell me what he did.”

  A heavy sigh sounded from the backseat. I grinned at Aaron’s obvious discomfort, but I kept my eyes on the road, trying to keep my speed to a reasonable level. That was often difficult for me to do, especially when we hit the toll road. With a speed limit of eighty, going over one hundred was relatively easy for me. But, for Payton’s sake, I kept it closer to ninety. As it was, we hadn’t been in the car long, and she’d kept her hand firmly on the oh shit handle until just now.

  “We were supposed to go out tonight,” Aaron explained sadly. “Or so I thought. We made plans last weekend, when I stayed the night after the party.”

  My thoughts drifted back to that party and the way Aaron had hauled Payton out of there after practically throwing my jacket that she’d been wearing in my face. I grinned to myself. He had purposely made me believe they were together. Sly bastard. As understanding dawned, I realized he’d been playing me then. Keeping Payton away from me made her all the more desirable — or so he’d probably thought at the time. Little did he know, but I’d already set out with the intention of making her mine. His interference hadn’t been necessary, but it proved he did care about her.

  “When I called him earlier in the week,” Aaron continued, “he kinda blew me off, but I thought it was because he was busy. He told me work was kicking his ass, so I tried to ease off.”

  “Man, tell me you didn’t just go over there unannounced?” I asked, figuring it was my car so, by default, I was part of the conversation.

  “I did,” Aaron admitted, glaring at me in the rearview mirror.

  “Dumbass,” I said teasingly.

  As I watched in the mirror, Aaron flipped me off from the backseat.

  “Was he…?” Payton asked, her hand coming up to cover her mouth when Aaron didn’t elaborate.

  “Yep. Right there in his bed.”

  “What did he say when you caught him?” Payton asked, twisting in her seat so she could see him better.

  Aaron didn’t answer right away, and I glanced in the mirror again, waiting. I was just as interested in hearing the answer. If it’d been me and I’d walked in on some chick I was dating to find her in bed with another guy, I would have beaten the shit out of him.

  Not that I thought Aaron was the type of guy to speak with his fists. Pretty boys didn’t usually do that shit. Not to mention, Aaron looked considerably more reasonable than I was.

  “He said he was sorry. A little difficult to believe when he was wrapped around another guy.”

  Payton laughed, but the sound was strangled. I could tell she was pissed for her friend. Hell, I was pissed for him and I didn’t even know the guy.

  “Did he at least try to stop you?” she asked.

  “Yeah. I told him to get fucked,” Aaron said, chuckling, obviously acknowledging the double entendre.

  “Seriously, man. That’s bullshit.” Again, I joined in the conversation just because I could.

  I didn’t know Aaron all that well, but it was evident that he and Payton were close. I figured if I had any chance with her, it wouldn’t hurt to get on her friend’s good side.

  “So I stormed out. And that’s when I came home.”

  I nearly drove off the road. “Wait. What?” I jerked my head over to look at Payton. “Home?”

  When she shrugged, I glanced in the rearview mirror to see Aaron looking back at me, smiling. His grin lit up his entire face. “She didn’t tell you? I live with her.”

  Great.

  Payton turned toward me. “We’ve been roommates since our sophomore year of college.”

  Double great.

  “I’ve known her since junior high. And no, I’m not her boyfriend now, and I never was in the past, either,” Aaron confirmed, laughing.

  “I kinda got that part.” And it was only because the dude was gay that I didn’t pull off the road and drop his ass on the side of the highway.

  We were halfway to our destination when my cell phone rang. I knew who it was without looking. Toby had a big fucking mouth, and I knew he wouldn’t be able to resist. I figured he’d probably waited three minutes before calling Leif, but that would’ve been the longest. Toby was the last person you would ever want to share a secret with. He wouldn’t last five minutes before sharing the news with anyone who would listen.

  I dug for my phone in my jacket pocket and glanced at the screen. Yep. I was right.

  Toby had a big fucking mouth.

  Knowing Leif would kick my ass if I didn’t answer, I hit the talk button and put the phone to my ear. Less than a minute later, I was tossing the phone on the seat.

  “Who was that?” Payton asked, turning in her seat to face me.

  “Leif.”

  “What did he want?”

  Enjoying Payton’s nosiness, I cast a look in her direction and smiled. “He doesn’t want to be left out.”

  “Of?”

  “You’ll see.”

  Clearly she had no idea what I was talking about, but surprisingly she didn’t ask any more questions. At least not of me. As for Aaron, he got pummeled with questions, most of them having to do with Mark.

  Fifteen minutes later, I exited the highway with Toby less than a car length behind me.

  “Where are we?” Payton asked when we turne
d off on a back road.

  I nodded toward the south. “Your office is about five miles that way.”

  “So why are we here?” she asked after glancing out the window into the dark.

  “One of my buddies has a track. He lets me use it whenever I want. He hasn’t had a race there for a couple of years.”

  I’d considered buying the place when Stu Strickland had stopped holding races but had talked myself out of it due to the location. Part of me was grateful for my fear of commitment, because I’d recently located an even better location farther north. In fact, I’d shot off a text earlier in the day to a real estate buddy of mine to put in an offer. I wasn’t usually one to make big decisions when I was pissed, but after fighting with Conrad, I’d come to one final conclusion: I was done with the bullshit.

  And now, if things worked out the way I hoped they would, I’d be gearing up to build something bigger and better than the deserted track we were about to embark upon. Although the place was abandoned, the track was still in great shape.

  “Race? As in cars?” Aaron asked from the backseat.

  “Yep,” I confirmed.

  “Thank God,” Aaron said on a deep exhale. “I was praying you weren’t taking us to some redneck bar.”

  “Not into that sort of thing?” I countered, trying to imagine Aaron in a redneck bar.

  “Not usually, no.”

  “Then we’ll get along just fine. I don’t care for them, either. But don’t tell Toby that. He’s a redneck. Those types of places are like his second home.”

  “Is that…?” Payton’s question trailed off as we pulled into the eroded parking lot a minute later.

  “Leif? Yeah.” I wasn’t surprised to see him there already. He’d been at his mother’s house, where he still lived, which wasn’t far from the track. My guess was that he’d broken the sound barrier in an attempt to get there before we did. The guy was as competitive as I was.

  I drove across the potholed parking lot to where Leif was waiting in his fancy-ass Mustang. Pulling up beside him, I told Payton and Aaron to stay put while I unlocked the gates. After pushing the eight-foot-tall, chain link fence open, I made my way back to the car while Toby and Leif pulled through first. I wasn’t far behind.

  A few more minutes passed while I pulled in and locked the gates behind us, then ventured to a small building where the control panels were. After flipping on the track lights, I returned to the car to find Payton and Aaron waiting patiently. Then, finally, I was driving down the narrow concrete path to the track.

  “You aren’t gonna race right now, are you?” Payton asked, her hazel eyes wide as she stared over at me. The blue glow from the dashboard cast her face in shadows, but I could see the curiosity there.

  “Not yet,” I told her truthfully, smiling to myself.

  I fully intended to race — after all, why waste a perfectly good opportunity — but even I wasn’t crazy enough to do that with her in the car. For now, I was content just being with her. This place was isolated, quiet, which meant it was the perfect spot to just chill. It was one of the few spots I came to hang out these days. Most of the time I came alone, though, so this was a nice change of pace.

  When we reached the overgrown grassy area that surrounded the track, I pulled off. Leif and Toby parked their cars relatively close to mine, everyone piling out. I glanced back at Leif’s ’06 Mustang in time to see him and his brother getting out. I wanted to laugh, but I knew no one else would have any clue why I was, so I kept my amusement to myself. After all, no one could have planned it better.

  Coincidences like this just didn’t happen every day.

  “Took you long enough,” Leif smirked as he strode toward me when I opened Payton’s door to help her out. “Was your grandma drivin’?”

  “Fuck off,” I muttered, grinning. “You better enjoy the feeling while you can. It’s the only time you’ll beat me.”

  Leif laughed and his brother slapped him on the back when he joined us. Toby and Chloe weren’t far behind, and when everyone gathered around my car, I made the necessary introductions. “Payton, remember Leif? And this is his brother, Garth.”

  “Man, fuck you. My name ain’t Garth,” Garrett retorted without heat, his distinct Texas drawl making me smile. “Name’s Garrett. Don’t listen to this asshole.”

  Payton laughed as she eased against my side, reaching out to take Garrett’s proffered hand. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and pulled her against me. The sweet scent of her hair instantly soothed the riot that was still clamoring in my brain.

  I wanted her more than I wanted air, and it was killing me to hold back. I wasn’t used to dating a girl prior to sleeping with her. In fact, I didn’t usually date, period. But with Payton, taking her to bed wasn’t the first thing that came to mind when I thought about her. Although, it was a close second.

  “Nice to meet you,” Payton said shyly, shaking Garrett’s hand. “These are my roommates, Chloe and Aaron.”

  I watched with voyeuristic fascination as Garrett shook Chloe’s hand and then Aaron’s, his eyes slowly trailing from Chloe to Aaron. Yep, just like I suspected, instant chemistry.

  Garrett Connelly, who I liked to call Garth, was the kind of guy who women flocked to like flies to honey. He was one of those people who caused crowds to part when he walked through. Big guy. Six four. He would’ve been lanky if it weren’t for the muscle that lined his lean frame. He looked a lot like Leif, just a few inches taller and wider.

  Just like all four of the Connelly brothers, Leif and Garrett sported the same dark hair and dark brown eyes. Neither of them regularly shaved, so they were always sporting a scruffy jaw. Garth was a couple of years older than Leif, who was the youngest Connelly and the same age as me. At twenty-seven, Garrett was the only one of Leif’s brothers who hadn’t ventured into the automotive industry. Garrett was a drummer. One of the best I’d ever heard. I called him Garth because back when he was in high school, he had aspired to be a country music singer. A phase, he called it.

  “Didn’t know you were in town,” I said to Garrett as I watched him watch Aaron.

  Oh, did I mention Garrett was gay? Well, bisexual was probably a better term for it, but it seemed Garrett preferred the same sex, for the most part, although he’d been known to bag some of the groupies, too.

  Like I said, coincidence.

  “For a few days,” Garrett answered, finally looking back at me. “Then we’re back on the road.”

  Toby walked over and slapped Garrett on the back. “What’s up, Garth?”

  Garrett elbowed Toby in the gut, making him grunt as he bent over. “Nice to see you, too, dude.”

  “So, what is this place?” Chloe asked, walking over to stand by Payton, her eyes roaming the darkness that surrounded the track.

  “Racetrack,” Aaron informed her.

  “I got that part, Einstein. Why are we here?”

  “To race,” Toby said quickly, grinning at her as though he hadn’t just stated the obvious, as well.

  “No shit?” Aaron asked, glancing around at everyone, his bright blue eyes landing on Garrett. And staying there.

  “I’m here to race,” I informed them. “Y’all are here to lose. But not yet. Come on.”

  I took Payton’s hand and led everyone down to the track, Toby mumbling something that sounded a lot like, “There’s a first time for everything.”

  I grinned.

  For now, I’d show them around. And a little later, I’d show them how it was done.

  Chapter Three

  Payton

  If I said that I would’ve ever thought I’d be standing in the middle of a deserted racetrack at night with Sebastian close by, I’d be lying. Heck, standing on a deserted racetrack at all was so far out of my element I was having a hard time keeping up.

  But Sebastian was there with me, his arm wrapped tightly around my shoulders as we walked from the grassy knoll down to the track. The way he kept me close, insisting on touching me at all times, wa
s incredibly comforting. And strangely erotic. If it hadn’t been for everyone else being there, it would’ve been romantic.

  When we’d left the apartment a short time ago, I wasn’t sure what I had expected. A sports bar, maybe. Pizza place, possibly. I certainly hadn’t anticipated this.

  It was something out of a movie, and if Sebastian hadn’t unlocked the gates in front of me, I would’ve thought we were trespassing. Except he looked as though he was used to being there. And that settled some of my nerves.

  But Sebastian was right. It might not be a place that saw many people these days, but it seemed in relatively good shape. The grass surrounding and through the middle of the track hadn’t been cut in a while, but that was about the only clue that no one spent time there.

  As we walked down the steep embankment to the asphalt, I was trying to take it all in. Sebastian’s nearness, our friends talking and joking, the overhead lights brightening the area as though it were daytime. I felt almost like I was intoxicated, but I hadn’t had a drop of alcohol, so I knew that wasn’t the case. Part of me kept waiting to wake up to find that this was some sort of crazy dream. I mean, I was still reeling from Sebastian showing up at my apartment, and then the odd conversation we’d been having when Aaron interrupted.

  If it hadn’t been for the others moving about, laughing — mainly at Toby and his antics — I would’ve considered pinching myself to see if I woke up. Then again, if this was a dream, I wasn’t sure I wanted to.

  Even with everyone causing a pleasant distraction, I was still having a hard time keeping myself from staring at Sebastian. He might not know it, but he was the center of the attraction — and not just for me. It seemed that everyone enjoyed being around him. Leif and Toby were constantly getting his attention, pulling him into the conversation. I noticed they were especially attentive when Sebastian grew quiet. It was as though they didn’t want him to get lost in his own head, even for a little while.

  He wasn’t an easy person to ignore. Not that I’d tried.

  He just seemed larger than life, so enigmatic and intense. And I was drawn to him. When he was anywhere in the vicinity, it was as though I forgot about everything and everyone else. Aaron was just lucky that I loved him as much as I did, because deserting Sebastian to check on him earlier hadn’t been an easy thing for me to do. I wanted to spend every minute with Sebastian.