Page 13 of Getting Off

Lucas Fox groaned and stretched as he woke.

There was no confusion about where he was.

He had absolute perfect recall of every second of the previous night.

So much felt like it had changed since the fundraiser.

Dylan had said he wanted to try restarting the Bronco once the engine and gasoline cooled and the vapor lock was gone, but Brooklyn had fallen asleep. They hadn’t wanted to wake her.

The interior of the Bronco was warming in the morning sun.

He could feel the brilliant morning sunlight on his boots where they hung just past the flap slanted against the tailgate.

There was still a bite lingering in the air, though.

He felt it on his cheeks and nose. Then he gradually became aware of something pressed up against him.

It was Brooklyn. Lucas found himself staring at her curled up like a contented kitten. He tried to reconcile everything he’d learned about this fascinating woman in the last twenty-four hours. The cool, clinically minded doctor wasn’t the ice queen people claimed she was.

Unable to resist, Lucas gently moved his hand to touch her tangled blonde hair. She was so beautiful. Right now, she seemed so unguarded and genuine. No carefully controlled words and expressions or professional detachment.

It was strange. Lucas could actually see himself settling down with an intelligent, motivated woman like her.

As impossible as it should have seemed, he liked the idea.

There were depths to this woman—this person —that Lucas didn’t believe they had even skimmed.

But he wanted to. That surprised him more than a little.

A sound from outside the Bronco drew his attention, and Lucas realized Dylan was gone. He was probably outside taking a leak or stretching his legs.

Lucas tried not to disturb Brooklyn as he eased himself out the back of the Bronco.

She was still resting on her side with her hands tucked beneath her face like an innocent angel.

He grinned to himself as he dropped down, his boots thudding on the sand.

He felt grimy and achy after sleeping in this gear all night, but the fresh air felt wonderful.

A low laugh drew Lucas’s attention toward the plateau’s edge where they had admired the view of the Vegas lights last night. Dylan was standing there with a broad grin on his face.

“I saw you contorting yourself to climb out without waking her. That’s what I looked like thirty minutes ago, trying to get out of there without waking either of you.”

It was weird. Lucas felt out of his element, and yet he loved every second of it. Maybe having anything and everything money could buy only made you value the things it couldn’t purchase. The core things that mattered in an unpredictable life.

He wandered off to take a leak. He took a moment to appreciate the pain in the ass it must’ve been for poor Brooklyn to manage it last night in her racing suit. Women really got the short end of the stick when it came to convenience.

By the time Lucas got back to the vehicle, Dylan had a stepstool on the ground in front of the open hood. He peered into the engine compartment of the huge lifted truck.

Lucas joined Dylan at the front fender and wished he knew more about mechanical things or had more experience fixing them. When something broke, he paid people to fix it or had it replaced. He knew some basics about engines, the same as anyone who loved cars. But practical experience? Not so much.

“Well, it’s what I thought,” Dylan said.

His words were somewhat muffled since he was basically talking at the engine as he leaned in.

“Vapor lock. It’s fine now. A good cold night cooled off the gasoline in the lines.

It certainly won’t be boiling anymore. But I might have to inject some gas directly into the carburetor since it went bone dry during the process. ”

“Sounds like a good plan.”

Dylan hopped off the step stool and reached for a rag to wipe his bare hands. His grin was hard to read. Was he laughing at Lucas?

But he only reached out and cuffed Lucas on his shoulder. “You have no idea what I’m talking about, do you?”

“Hypothetically, I do.” He grinned. “I get the concepts. But don’t let me stop you from showing me up and impressing me. I like a man who knows what he’s doing with his hands.”

Dylan tossed the rag onto the fender, his blood racing, his heart beating faster as he locked eyes with Lucas. The ache of desire throbbed low in his groin, urging him on. Dylan’s instincts told him this was the moment. He couldn’t let it slip past.

As handsome and sexy as the other man was right now, in that gear and with his hair all sleep-tousled, he looked nothing like the tux-wearing rich guy from the night before. He seemed real now. A man. A friend. And as Dylan walked toward him, he knew he meant to make him a lover too.

He didn’t waste time on words. He was face to face with Lucas. He leaned in slowly, still staring into the other man’s eyes as he laid claim to those lips.

The kiss was hot and heavy and everything Dylan hoped it would be.

The taste of Lucas was spicy and unfamiliar.

It was exciting. Blood rushed to Dylan’s groin, and he reveled in the feel of his cock pressing against the front of his suit.

He moved in closer, sliding his arms around Lucas and loving that Lucas did the same with him.

They grappled for control, tongues sliding in and out of each other’s mouths as they struggled to get as close as possible.

The kiss finally ended, leaving both of them breathing raggedly.

Damn, the man could kiss. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like to share this man’s bed.

To share it with Brooklyn, because there was no way in hell he was letting Doctor Beautiful out of his life.

Not after she’d trusted him. That trust really meant something to Dylan. He would prove himself worthy of it.

But as for Lucas? Hell, Dylan knew he was going to have to share the lead.

As much as he wanted to fuck Lucas until he hit that sweet spot, to experience the power of making the man come hard, he was willing to give control to Lucas when he wanted it.

That give and take was going to be interesting.

A challenge. But he was always up for a challenge.

And Brooklyn would be a challenge too.

Before he could say anything, Dylan heard Brooklyn emerging from the Bronco. He let go of Lucas with a smile. He didn’t want their lovely lady feeling jealous.

Although if it led to her peeling off that suit and showing that graceful body again, he might just change his mind very quickly.

Brooklyn was ready to go. It was morning. She’d slept far better than she’d expected. She hadn’t even woken once.

She stretched with a groan, loving the warm sun on her face.

They needed to get to fixing the truck or walking to the club before the day got too hot.

She opened one of the breakfast bars Dylan had stashed in the back.

She usually didn’t eat a big meal first thing in the morning.

Coffee was more her thing. Lots of coffee.

Right now, she was definitely feeling the lack of coffee.

She walked around the truck and spotted Dylan and Lucas standing very close to each other. They both were looking her way. But she had the feeling she had missed something…

The truck’s hood was open, and a step stool was on the ground.

“So?” She looked from the guys to the truck back to the guys. “Are we stranded? Has anyone spotted a rescue crew yet? Do I need to fix this thing myself?”

Dylan laughed. “I don’t doubt for a second that you could do it if you tried, Doc. But good morning. It’s good to see your pretty face.”

She resisted the urge to mess with her hair. She didn’t need a mirror to know it was a disaster. A shower would be a blessing. And coffee. And a change of clothes. And coffee.

But being called pretty? She did like that.

Lucas was smiling at her too, his dark eyes warm. “Dylan’s fixing Bubba. We should be on our way to coffee in no time.”

A man after her own heart. She watched as Dylan swaggered over to the driver’s door and leaned inside. He fiddled with something, and suddenly the engine roared to life.

She did a spontaneous dance of triumph. They weren’t going to die alone in the desert, eaten by vultures. Not that she’d believed they would. Or maybe her logical brain hadn’t believed it, but she’d still been a little worried…

“So what was wrong?” she asked.

“Nothing but basic chemistry.” Dylan left the engine idling and came over to Brooklyn.

He slipped an arm around her waist. It felt so natural and friendly that she didn’t feel even a tiny bit uncomfortable.

In fact, she liked it when he touched her.

“Vapor lock’s when the vehicle gets so hot that the gasoline boils in the lines before it gets to the carburetor.

Once everything cools down, the engine will usually start right up.

In this case, I didn’t even have to put any fuel in the carburetor to get the process rolling.

Bubba just started right up like a beast.” He smiled down at her and had the audacity to tap her nose.

“And to answer that question you’re not asking, yes.

We probably could’ve been out of here a few hours ago. But I was sleeping and so were you.”

Brooklyn opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out.

His green eyes were mesmerizing. He looked so puckish.

Good God, that was a word she could safely say about him and one she’d never considered using in casual conversation.

Yet, it totally applied. The guy was incorrigible, and she loved it. He was also fun.

She desperately needed fun in her life.

“Shall we head back?” Lucas prompted from her other side.

“Yeah,” she said, grinning at them, “but I’m driving.”

She didn’t pause long enough to give herself time to rethink how wise this was. She felt as if her fourteen-year-old self had suddenly taken over. The girl who used to ride fast and hard, loving the speed and the wind in her hair.

Both men looked stunned.

“Are you okay with a clutch?” Dylan asked.

Brooklyn didn’t bother to answer. She used the step to climb into the driver’s seat and turned around to grab her helmet. “You’d better get the back closed, or I’m going to scatter your makeshift tent all over this desert!”

Now they were grinning, but they did as she ordered. Good.

Brooklyn felt like a million bucks as the engine rumbled away. No. She felt alive . That’s what this was. Reckless, maybe. Excited, definitely. She didn’t care. For the first time in so long, she felt alive, and she loved every second of it.

The men piled into Bubba. Brooklyn felt for the clutch and put the truck in gear.

Thank God her legs were long. She needed every inch of them to shove that clutch to the floor with her boot.

But once the truck was in gear, she was good to go.

It was like riding a bike. And she was so ready to enjoy every second of this.

“Well now,” Lucas said from the passenger seat. Dylan was in the middle, pressed up against her side. “I’m excited to see what kind of skills Dr. Brooklyn really has.”

“Better hold on tight, boys,” Brooklyn urged as she headed straight for the spot where the trail plunged over the other side of the plateau before heading down to the flats below. “It’s going to be a rough ride!”