Beyond Broken (The Bay Boys #3) (2 page)

The older man started chuckling and the sound made Maddie relax.
 
She decided she liked him.
 
He had a warm friendliness that reminded her of her father.

“It’s alright.
 
I just have to run it past the boss, is all.
 
But we usually settle bills once all the work’s done anyway, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Maddie blinked as relief settled into her veins.
 
But then she asked, “Oh, are you not the boss?”

His eyes twinkled.
 
“Just ‘cause I’m old, sweetie, don’t mean I’m the boss.”

Her cheeks burned.
 
“No, that’s not what I meant.”

“I know.
 
I’m just teasin’.
 
Not everyday I get to tease a pretty girl.”
 
He gave her a harmless wink that set her at ease and then, turning his head towards a set of metal stairs on the far wall she hadn’t noticed, bellowed, “Boss!
 
Come down here a minute, will ya?”

The stairs led up to a faded red door.
 
On it was a placard that she couldn’t quite read, even though she squinted a little.
 
A large window next to the door overlooked the garage, but the blinds were down, so she couldn’t see inside.
 
Streams of light poked through the cracks.
 
She figured it was an office of some sort.

A moment later, the door swung open and a jolt of shock passed through Maddie’s body.
 
She tensed, her heart forgetting to beat for a couple moments, before it resumed its purpose with renewed fervor.
 
For a brief second, she thought her mind was playing tricks on her, but even it wouldn’t be so cruel as to toy with her.

As the man descended the steps, a scowl on his achingly handsome features, Maddie felt as though she was seeing a ghost.

Caleb Montgomery
.

The sign outside the building flashed into her mind.
 
Montgomery Restoration & Repair.
 
She should’ve known right then.
 
But how could she have?
 
Maddie hadn’t seen Caleb since he’d graduated high school, no matter how many times she’d hoped to catch a glimpse of him over the years.
 
Almost ten years later, here he was…

The first thing she noticed was his eyes.
 
Of course, it was always his eyes that had captivated her.
 
Eyes so dark that they were almost black.
 
Obsidian eyes, as cold and harsh as the rock itself.
 
Those eyes had starred in her teenage fantasies and replayed over and over in her dreams.

His hair was longer, she noticed.
 
He’d worn it short in high school, buzzed close to his head.
 
But now it was thick and full, a deep chocolate color that she wanted to run her hands through.
 
She wondered if it was as soft as it looked.

Caleb’s obsidian eyes locked on her own.
 
She forgot to breathe.
 
How many times had she hoped he’d look at her?
 
How many times had she been disappointed?
 
But not now.
 
His gaze was steady and she felt a flush making its way up her body, filling every vein, warming her.
 
She’d never responded to a man as potently as she did Caleb.
 
It was probably why she’d never been intimate with someone, because no man had ever quite measured up.
 
The sad thing was…he probably hadn’t realized that she’d existed until now.

Maddie could see that time hadn’t changed her response to him.
 
Except, time had changed them both.
 
Caleb had never been young, but she could see the years in his broad shoulders and muscular thighs, in the hard jaded look on his face, in the tattoos peeking out from underneath his worn black t-shirt.

A sadness washed over her.
 
No, Caleb Montgomery had never been young.

A memory rose unwillingly, no matter how much she tried to fight it.
 
She remembered that day, one of the last days of Caleb’s senior year.
 
The day where everything fell apart and she’d seen a guarded boy turn into a cold man.

This man approached the three of them now, his booted footsteps falling hard on the concrete.
 
Maddie didn’t remember him being this massive, but he was well over six feet tall, dwarfing her respectable five foot seven frame, even the added inches her heels gave her.
 
Strong cords of muscle lined his arms.
 
He wasn’t overly bulky, but no one could deny his strength.
 
Even though he wore a black tee, she could still make out the broadness of his shoulders, the expanse of his chest, his tapered waist.
 
He’d always been beautiful.

“What is this all about?” he grated, his voice rough.
 
Even though his eyes were still on Maddie, the question was obviously directed to the older man.

There was no flash of recognition in his gaze and Maddie felt a part of her slump in defeat.
 
Caleb had never even noticed her in high school, even though she’d had a crush on him from the first moment she’d laid eyes on him.
 
Suddenly, she felt like that 13-year-old freshman girl all over again, pining for the mysterious, brooding junior from afar.

How pathetic.

Straightening her spine, Maddie reminded herself that she was a 25-year-old woman now.
 
However, she found herself in an embarrassing situation…one she was loathe to disclose to him.
 
She hated to play the damsel in distress—not that Caleb Montgomery would have any interest in coming to her aid—but she was out of options.

Putting on a small, shaky smile, she told him, “My car broke down.
 
I need a tow, if it’s not too much trouble.”

The expression on his face made her smile slowly die.
 
Caleb thought it would be trouble, judging by his glare.
 
He turned his attention to the older man.
 
“Brian, I don’t have time for this shit.
 
I need to get those invoices sorted and I don’t know if you’ve seen those files, but they’re an absolute mess.”

Maddie could hardly stop her flinch at his harsh tone, but Brian seemed unaffected.
 
He smiled.
 
“Oh, come on, boss.
 
Have a little heart.
 
Your uncle would’ve helped a little lady in distress.”

Maddie frowned inwardly at the ‘little lady’ part, but she was much more intrigued by Caleb’s reaction.
 
A shot of fury and pain lit up his dark eyes before he carefully masked them again.
 
Maddie’s heart ached at the sight, wanting nothing more than to comfort him as she’d longed to do when she’d been a girl.

He glanced at her once more, this time sweeping her from head to toe.
 
His gaze left her feeling shivery and warm.
 
“Fine,” he bit out.
 
“Get it done.”

He started to turn but then Brian had the audacity to stop him.
 
“You’ll have to do it, boss.
 
I have to finish Rick’s car tonight since he’s comin’ first thing in the mornin’.
 
And you know how the missus gets when I’m home after ten.
 
Thinks I’m steppin’ out on her.
 
It ain’t pretty.
 
And Peter here,” Brian said, clapping a hand on the teenager who hadn’t uttered a word since she stepped in the garage, “needs to help because I’m old and it’s rough on my bones.
 
Ain’t that right, Petey?”

Peter looked helplessly between the two men, his gaze darting back and forth like he was watching a tennis match.

Quiet rage poured off Caleb.
 
Maddie could feel it as palpably as a touch.
 
His jaw ticked with restrained anger, his fists clenching at his sides.
 
Then he exploded.
 
“Are you fucking kidding me with this shit, Brian?
 
Remind me who owns this place.
 
Last time I checked, it wasn’t you!”

Maddie cringed at his tone and unconsciously took a step away.
 
Peter seemed to have the same response because he mirrored her actions.
 
Caleb was downright frightening when he was this angry, a side of him she’d never experienced.

“You do, boss,” Brian replied, grinning shamelessly, unaffected by his mood.

“Un-fucking-believable.”

“And stop cursin’ around the little lady.
 
You should know better.”

“I’m this close to firing your old ass.”

“Yeah, yeah, like you haven’t threatened that before.”

Maddie watched the two men square off, although her eyes mostly lingered on Caleb.
 
He and Brian knew each other quite well, that much was clear.
 
And there was mutual respect there, despite the volley of insults being lobbed back and forth.

Maddie was tense as something unspoken seemed to pass between the two of them.
 
Eventually, Caleb’s furious gaze swung to her and she barely refrained from gasping at the
hate
she saw there.
 
No, this man was very different from the one she’d known.
 
The teenage boy she’d loved had never been this icy, this cold.

“Get in the truck,” he told her through gritted teeth, jerking his head at something behind her.
 
She stood frozen as he turned and made his way over to a small tin box on the work bench.
 
She watched as he pulled out a set of keys and then stalked back.
 
His eyes narrowed on her.
 
“
Now
.”

She jumped and then spun on her heel, shock propelling her into motion.
 
Then his words started to penetrate her hazy mind and indignation rose sharply in her chest.
 
Nobody had ever spoken to her like that before and she didn’t like it.
 
Not one bit.

“You could say ‘please,’ you know,” she informed him as she marched over to the tow truck parked on the far side of the lot.
 
Her heels clicked loudly on the pavement as she hurried to keep up with him.

He didn’t even look at her.
 
“Princess, you really don’t wanna fuck with me right now.”

Maddie tried not to be upset with him, but it was difficult.
 
She already felt responsible for tonight’s drama.
 
If her car hadn’t broken down, he wouldn’t have been bothered.

Still, it didn’t stop her from snapping, “Language.”
 
She didn’t know what came over her.
 
Usually, she didn’t even have a temper.
 
She was mild-mannered.
 
But she hated the way he was treating her…as though she was nothing more than an inconvenience.

Caleb stopped so suddenly that she ran into his back.
 
Before her mind could register the hard muscles she encountered there, he whirled on her, as quickly as a snake ready to strike.
 
Even though he was grinning, it was more like a barring of his teeth.
 
He looked like the devil, surprisingly seductive, yet hellbent on devouring her in one piece.

“I don’t have to help you, you know.
 
In fact, I’d be happier if I didn’t have to haul your car back here and deal with your problems.
 
I meant what I said.
 
I don’t need this right now.
 
I have other issues to deal with that are more important.
 
So if you want to call another towing company, then by all means, go ahead.
 
You can even use my phone, if it means you’ll get out of my sight faster.”
 
His voice was soft as his words washed over her.
 
There was no mistaking that lethal tone.
 
He was like a panther, silently prowling, waiting to strike.

Maddie wouldn’t give him the chance.
 
His eyes gazed down at her, even darker in the night.
 
Something about him had always called out to her.
 
And Maddie knew that she couldn’t rise to his taunt because he looked like he was itching for a fight, like he would
relish
it.
 
In a calm tone, she murmured, “I’m sorry.
 
I’m sorry for the trouble I’m causing.
 
I just…I just want to get home.
 
It’s been a rough night.
 
I’d be grateful for your help.”

Maddie stared up at him, not daring to look away.
 
His eyes flickered with an emotion she couldn’t place, but as soon as it appeared it was gone.
 
Caleb turned and resumed walking towards the truck and Maddie silently followed.

She braced herself for a long ride.

TWO

For the hundredth time tonight, Caleb wondered why the fuck he was driving this princess around and they’d only just turned out of the parking lot.

“Where’s your car?” he grunted, not looking in her direction.

The woman hesitated, but only for a moment, before pointing left.
 
“It’s down that road.
 
Not far though.”

He gave no signal that he’d heard her and settled into silence.
 
Caleb briefly wondered if she was one of those woman bothered by silence or if she was able to just sit there quietly without talking.

“Aren’t you cold?” she blurted out a few seconds later.

Nope, obviously not.

He gritted his teeth.
 
“No.”

“But it has to be in the 50’s and you’re only wearing a t-shirt.”