Page 13 of Hello Trouble

HAYES

I set my helmet down on the seat of my motorcycle and looked through the diner window to see if my dad, Knox, and Fletcher were already seated. The place was fuckin’ packed, which made me want to turn around and go home instead.

But then I saw a bright flash of red hair through one of the windows—and she was sitting across from... Bennett Smith. Smiling.

Something in me raged at the sight of him getting one of her smiles. At the plain-ass smile he sent back to her. He should have fucking heart eyes coming out of his face.

Something irrational and reckless and most of all, fucking dumb.

I didn’t date, especially not people intertwined with my family. This was none of my business. So why was I having a hard time believing myself?

I grit my teeth together and walked around the side of the diner to go in and sit with my dad and brothers.

I found them at Dad’s usual booth, Knox and Fletch sitting on one side, leaving space for me by Dad. The only problem was that from this angle, I had a great view of Della and Bennett.

The amount of self-control it took to say hi to Dad, Knox, and Fletcher before I glanced her way deserved an award. My gaze was met by pretty soft-green eyes. She quickly glanced down, and I smirked.

She was looking at me while she was talking to him.

Suddenly, the ache in my chest eased, if only a little bit.

“Hayes,” Fletcher said like it wasn’t the first time he tried to get my attention.

“Yeah?” I turned my attention to him, gently biting down on my lip ring.

“Maya’s class is doing a line dancing performance at the spring festival, and she asked me to ‘confirm your participation’,” Fletcher said.

“No.” I reached over and plucked a menu from the rack, even though I always ordered the same thing. Maybe just so I had something to look at other than the redhead across the diner.

But Knox grabbed the menu and eyed me with that no-nonsense cop look. “He wasn’t asking. We’re all doing it.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Why?”

Knox shook his head at me. “Because our niece wants us to?”

“And?” I asked.

Fletcher eyed me. “ You try telling her no.”

“Fair point.” I sighed. “When and where?”

Dad snickered next to me, and I said, “Why are you laughing? You’re dancing too.”

“Oh no,” Dad said. “That’s for you young guns. I’m a little old for that.”

“True,” Knox said, a smirk lighting his blue eyes. “He needs to get his doctor’s approval for physical activity.”

We all swiveled our gazes to look at Fletch, the family doctor. He was grinning as he pulled a pen from his pocket and wrote on a napkin. Grayson Madigan is hereby cleared for line dancing activities.

We were all laughing as Dad shook his head at us and ripped the napkin in half. “Oh, grow up,” he muttered, an amused look in his eyes.

I had to wipe my watering eyes, but when I looked over, I saw Bennett and Della walking toward the register.

And the future flashed before my eyes. Bennett and Della in this restaurant every week.

Seeing them together as a couple. Him, putting his hand on her waist, comfortable with her in a way I’d never be.

“What did that napkin do to you?” Dad muttered, nudging my side.

I realized I had a death grip on my napkin and loosened up. “Guess I’m saving it from you,” I popped off.

He rolled his eyes at me and then joined back in on the conversation with Knox and Fletcher about some new machine Fletcher was getting at Madigan Medical. But all the while, I could hear Della and Bennett talking over the restaurant’s chatter.

Della said, “I better get this back to Edna before the lettuce gets soggy. Thanks again for paying. You really didn’t have to do that.”

“I wanted to,” Bennett said. “In fact, I’d like to do it again sometime. Maybe Friday night?”

I gripped my knees under the table, straining for her answer.

“Oh, wow... I’d like that.” There was a smile in her voice that I could picture.

“Great. Does seven work? There’s a great steak place we can go to in Roderdale.”

“I know the place. I actually have a client over there I need to see. I can meet you there.”

“Sounds great. See you then, Dell.”

Dell?

She sounded pleased as she said, “See you then.”

The door opened and closed before I could hear my brothers talking again.

“Hayes,” Fletcher said. “Are you coming down with something? You’re acting really strange.”

I blinked, like that would somehow clear the conversation echoing in my mind. Bennett and Della were going on a date. And he was exactly the kind of guy that she would settle down with.

It shouldn’t bother me. It should be like hearing there’s going to be rain on Tuesday. Or hell, I could even be relieved someone else will be giving her rides around town from now on.

But instead, it felt like rain was falling on me now, thick and all-consuming. The kind that splattered all over the window and even the highest speed of your wipers couldn’t keep up.

He didn’t deserve her.

He was plainer than vanilla, and she was a fucking color explosion.

“Maybe I am coming down with something....” I muttered. Because I’d never felt this way before. I had to be getting sick. Something had to be wrong with me. After all, my gut did hurt.

Dad said, “Do you need me to give you a ride home?”

I slowly shook my head. “I’m good. Maybe some food would help.”

Spoiler alert: It didn’t help.

After lunch, I went back to the garage, where that foreign feeling continued blooming in my chest like some invisible masochist was adding fuel to the fire. I was pissed—pissed that vanilla Bennett thought he deserved her. Furious that Della was wasting her time with someone beneath her.

The blaze almost consumed me when I walked through my door to my empty house.

Enough was enough.

I paced my living room and texted Jess to come over and distract me.

Less than half an hour later, Jess came inside without knocking, wearing a khaki trench coat. I could already guess what was underneath. I was sitting on my couch, drinking a beer while Sons of Anarchy played on the TV, but muted it at her entrance. “Hey there,” I said, eyeing her up and down.

Soon, my body would feel right . Turned on and distracted.

She was tall—nearly six feet—and had curves for days visible even under the trench. I reached for the button on my pants, undoing it and watching as she stopped short of me and pulled the coat open to show her sheer black lingerie.

“What do you think?” she asked, slipping out of the coat so it fell in a puddle behind her.

I studied her, wondering why my cock felt limp. I reached into my pants and ordered, “Turn around. Let me see you.”

She did as I demanded, letting me see the thong where it disappeared between her ass cheeks. The sway of soft blond hair over her bra clasp. It would snap apart easily under my fingertips.

She even bent over and wiggled her ass to give me a better show, and... nothing.

No twist of my hand over my shaft or mental image of her riding me could get my cock to stand.

What the fuck was wrong with me?

When she turned back to me, she must have seen it in my face. “What’s wrong?” she asked, full lips pouting. “You don’t usually need help to get you in the mood.”

I shook my head, letting out a frustrated sigh as I stood and buttoned my pants back up. “I’m sorry, Jess. I shouldn’t have called you over.”

She stepped forward, putting the back of her hand against my forehead. “Are you okay?”

With a wry chuckle, I pulled her fingers aside. “I’m not sick... But I’m not okay.” I held her hand for a moment, looking at her fingers.

After a moment of watching me, she said softly, “The fun’s over, isn’t it?”

I nodded slowly. It sure was.