Chapter Five
Mason downed hiswine and tried, without success, to stop staring at Piper. He’d always been responsible that she’d lost the love of her life. Now he had to face the fact it was his fault she hadn’t followed the career she’d always wanted as well.
“You’ll pass, no problem.” She’d been a straight A student when his brother had met her at some charity function. Sure, Piper and her family had been guests and Colton had been working at his part time job, but five minutes in his brother’s company and no one was in any doubt as to the extent of his ambition.
He’d always intended to make partner at a prestigious law firm by the time he hit thirty. He would’ve done it, too.
“I don’t know about theno problem.” She gave him another one of her smiles that turned him inside out. No other girl had ever managed to do that. “But I’m certainly going to give it my best shot.”
“Then what? Onto uni?”
Her smile wavered. For a second he thought she wasn’t going to answer him, or maybe change the subject. Then she took a deep breath. “No. I always wanted to work with animals and my parents just assumed I’d become a vet and end up with my own practice. I went along with it because…well, I thought that was the only path for me. But I’m happy where I am, now. I don’t need what they think I do.”
Colton had always bragged about his clever girlfriend and how one day she’d be a veterinary surgeon. Had he ever even asked her what she really wanted to do?
“As long as you’re happy. That’s all that matters.”
“What about you? How long have you been working as a mechanic?”
“Three years.” It had taken him a couple of years to get his head straight after the accident. Not that he was going to tell her that. What he’d gone through was nothing compared to her. “The plan is to open my own business within five.” Hell, what had made him share that with her? He’d not even told his parents. Then again, he barely told his parents anything.
“That’s good.” She twirled circles in her noodles with her fork, and gave him a strange sideways glance. “Do you miss your biker life?”
How can she ask me that?Even if he did sometimes miss that wild, reckless freedom of roaring along at full throttle, it was over.
“Yeah, sometimes.” The words were out before he could stop them and horror crawled along his spine. What the fuck? He didn’t want to ruin this night, weekend, whatever the hell he and Piper had between them, by showing her how insensitive he was. Before he could dredge up the right words to back peddle, she bit her lip and looked back at her plate.
Well played, Hunter, you arse.
“I’m so sorry.” Her voice was barely above a whisper. “I hate that you gave up something you loved so much because of what happened.”
His gaze sharpened on her. She didn’t sound as though she blamed him for the accident. But she must do. Everyone else did.
“I couldn’t get back on the bike afterwards.” The words were gruff.Stop wishing for the impossible.Piper might want him for some fun, but deep down she’d never be able to forgive him, no matter how much he wished she would.
She cleared her throat. “Didn’t the insurance cover it? For buying a new bike, I mean.” She blushed, and looked so damn irresistible he almost forgot about the excruciating conversation. “I know yours was…written off.”
Written off? It had to be scraped off that tree.Along with my brother.A shudder inched along the back of his neck and he forcibly slammed down on the nightmarish images that haunted the black corners of his mind.
“It was covered. I put the money towards my first car.”
She took a sip of wine and avoided his gaze.Change the subject.He didn’t want to talk about the past. Sure as hell didn’t want to talk about his brother. But there was no getting away from it. He owed her an apology at the very least, even thoughsorrydidn’t change anything and never could.
“I should never have let him take my keys.” It would’ve meant knocking his brother out, but hindsight was a hell of a bitch. Colton had been spoiling for a fight that night, and Mason had just been too damn drunk to take up the challenge. “He’d never ridden a bloody bike before.”
Her fingers clenched around the stem of the wineglass. She was too classy to throw the contents in his face, but he tensed all the same.
“It wasn’t your fault. He always did whatever he wanted. But…” she shivered and flattened her hand on the table next to her glass. “He didn’t deserve that.”
The day he’d got his bike, his parents had freaked out. They’d been convinced with his drinking and reckless lifestyle that one day he’d end up in pieces.
Ironic that had ended up being Colton, the one who’d never given them a moment’s headache in the past.
He wrapped his hand over hers. They could talk about Colton, thrash it all out, and chances were she’d realized this was some crazy rebound brother thing and sling him out on his arse.
I’m not my brother.He didn’t want to be a substitute or whatever the hell this was. But he sure wasn’t ready to walk out the door yet.
He tugged on her hand. “Get over here.”
