Falling for the Wingman (The Kelly Brothers, Book 3) by Crista McHugh Read Free Book Online

I’m still driving my dad’s old car.”
    “Okay, first off, that ‘old car’ is a classic muscle machine that gets me hot and bothered just from listening to the engine.”
    “You get turned on by an engine?” he teased.
    “Let me get behind the wheel and I’ll show you.” She gave him a playful nudge before turning serious. “Second, you should do what you love.”
    “Even if it’s what made the woman I love leave me?”
    A lump of bitterness rose into her throat. He was still in love with her sister. Alex took a breath, swallowed hard, and used those precious seconds to come up with a response that didn’t incriminate her. “Being a pilot is who you are. You said it yourself—you love flying, and you loved it long before you met my sister. You shouldn’t have to change yourself for another person. If you did, you’d only end up resenting that person later for taking you away from what you truly love.”
    He stared her with a line furrowed between his brows as though her words had hit him on a level he hadn’t expected. She didn’t understand why, though. To her, it was nothing more than common sense.
    But then, most of the world lacked common sense. Herself included. After all, she was the one trying to lure her sister’s ex into falling in love with her.
    Thankfully, Miss Ada showed up to break the uneasy silence forming between them. “Y’all ready for dessert?”
    Alex turned her attention away from the sexy man beside her and grinned. “Yep. Two peach cobblers, no ice cream on his.”
    “You sure about that?” Miss Ada asked Caleb as she took their plates.
    “Positive.” Once they were alone again, he said, “I’m surprised you remembered about my lactose intolerance.”
    “It’s easy enough to remember, especially knowing what kind of discomfort it can cause you.”
    His expression sobered. “You’d think so.”
    Based on his reaction, she wondered how many times her sister had forgotten it.
    Time to lighten up the mood. Alex slipped her arm through his. “So, I’m thinking we act really cutesy over dessert and then end it with a kiss that will have those old biddies talking well into next week.”
    “How about I just put you on the hood of my Camaro and rev up the engine?”
    She shivered from the thought of it. “Don’t tempt me. I think Jackson Grove still has some public lewdness laws on the books that I’d be in danger of violating if you did that.”
    “And what we’ve done so far doesn’t count?” He ran his hand along her thigh again, reviving that delightfully uncomfortable trickle of desire that flared to life whenever she got this close to him.
    “Watch it, flyboy, or I may say screw dessert.” In favor of screwing me . Her cheeks flushed, and she covered his hand with her own to keep him from tracing those little circles on her bare skin that made her sex ache. “This is a family establishment, after all.”
    His pupils dilated, and her heart kicked into overdrive. He licked his lips and leaned toward her. “Why don’t we give those old biddies over there something to talk about now?”
    Alex’s breath quickened, but her mind issued a peal of warning. “Why?”
    He backed away, blinking several times like she’d just decked him instead of asking a question. “Because it will get back to your sister faster.”
    All the heat between them vaporized, leaving behind a cold, sinking feeling. It was still about Kourtney. Alex pushed his hand off her thigh. “Let’s just wait until after dessert.”
    An awkward silence settled over them until their peach cobbler was half gone and Caleb finally said, “I’m sorry.”
    “For what?”
    “For dragging you into this situation.”
    “It was my idea, remember?”
    “I know, but…” He tapped his spoon on what was left of his crust. “I came here so certain I’d succeed, but the longer I’m here, the more questions I have.”
    “Sometimes it’s good to ask questions before making a big decision.” Maybe