But first, I had to deal with her van.
After I packed the newlyweds into the limo, I drove back to Hope Street.
The boot was off my tow truck, so at least I could start with that.
I parked my Caddy in front of Mercy’s bakery and hopped into the tow truck. I went back toward the venue and hauled Mercy’s van to my shop.
Exhaustion rode me, but I had to know what was wrong with her van. I hooked it up for a diagnostic scan. Not only did sheneed a new alternator, but the connectors to her battery were fucked.
“New van, my ass,” I muttered.
I put an order in for her parts and hopefully they’d come in the following day. I crashed on my office couch for a few hours. When dawn rolled around, I took my motorcycle out to find my woman.
Chapter 11
Mercy
Even being bone tired,my body still woke up a few minutes before dawn. My neck was screaming after sleeping on my brother’s crappy third-hand couch.
I stared at my phone.
Rip:
You home?
Just let me know you’re safe.
I’ve got your truck on my lift. It’s fixable.
Don’t make me hunt you down.
I couldn’t make myself write him back. The embarrassment was cringey enough, but knowing he was worried about me left me even more unnerved.
Annoyed at myself, I stole one of my brother’s hoodies and headed out to walk to my store. My car was parked around the back. I should go home and take a damn shower, but I found I just wanted to get my fingers into some dough.
Something complicated enough to turn off my brain.
Luther’s apartment was a few blocks off Hope Street. The temperatures dropped on the overnight and the first official day of January was bright and cold as hell. I tucked my fingers into the front pocket and trudged against the brisk wind. As I got closer, I squinted at the dark green car in front of Sweet Beats.
Ripley’s Caddy.
Even with the brutal January wind, I burned at the thought of that car.
Like a damn Pavlovian response.
The orgasm from the night before still lived rent free in my brain. Sure, it had been one of the first non-self-induced ones in over a year, but it was more than that. I’d never had a man be so intentional with my pleasure.
And it had to be Ripley freaking Murdock.
What were the odds?
Half the girls in Indigo Valley High had been hot for Ripley. The other half were just in denial or weren’t into men. He was a few years older than me, but I’d always been around the Murdock brothers. They were a million miles different than my own brothers that I’d just been happy to be on the periphery of their lives.
My brother, Booker, had been in and out of Sully’s pockets when we were kids. I’d tagged along as much as they allowed. Back then, being quiet had afforded me a spot on the inner circle in the summers. Days at the lake. The epic Murdock pranks. The tight knit link I’d always longed to have with my brothers.
After high school, the dynamics changed. The Murdock boys scattered as wanderlust set in.
Except for me.
