Mustang Sally by Jayne Rylon Read Free Book Online Page A

fitted her to his chest. “It’ll take a hell of a lot more than a bop on the nose to put King Cobra in his place. It’s okay. We shouldn’t have startled you like that. Hijo de puta , why do we keep screwing things up?”
    “No, no.” She squirmed in his hold, wanting to peek over his shoulder to verify she hadn’t imagined the effort they’d gone to. They cared. They’d missed her. Maybe even a fraction as much as she’d pined for them. “It’s perfect. Amazing. I ruined things. Again.”
    “I wouldn’t say that, Sally.” Kaige raised his beer in her direction. “I’m having a wicked good time. Nice hook, by the way.”
    A weak smile began to turn her frown upside down. Her eyes skipped over his bold tattoos and his golden dreads to the older man standing quietly at the rear of the gang.
    King Cobra’s dad, Tom, nodded in her direction, then held his hands up so that his curled fingers made the top of a heart and his thumbs pointed together, completing the shape. The gesture alone brought fresh tears to her eyes.
    Damn, this wasn’t going to be pretty.
    She let go of Alanso just long enough to flash the sign in return.
    Together she and the engine tuner faced Eli.
    “It’s stopping. All cool. No worries.” He crumpled the paper towel and jammed it in the back pocket of his jeans. “I missed you, Sally.”
    “I missed you too.” She held out her arms. Both Eli and Alanso stepped into them. She hugged each of them with one arm and they mimicked her until the triangle was complete.
    With the three of them bonded in their own private assembly, Eli whispered into her ear, “We have a lot to talk about. After the party. You. Me. Alanso. Please let me explain?”
    She froze. The plan had been to charge in and hit them with her demands, both barrels. Would she still have the nerve to be so bold after an hour or two of hanging out, pretending all was normal when everything inside her had disintegrated and rearranged? And what about her unfinished business? She wouldn’t have time to dive into it before the three of them hashed things out. Crap!
    Is this how Alanso had felt when he’d returned from the guys’ visit to the crew after Dave’s accident? If so, she had no clue how he’d held it all together so long. His strength awed her. Just like it had when he’d burst inside that night a few weeks ago and announced he wanted to experiment with guys. She had to take a page from his book and be brave enough to share her desires. Otherwise, there was no hope of getting what she needed.
    Sally kissed the bald guy’s cheek as she rubbed his head. He nearly purred when she found the spot he loved so much. Then she turned to Eli to bestow the same peace offering on him. Though she’d kissed his cheek a million times in their lives, this time was different.
    At the last instant, he turned his head.
    They met lips on lips for the first time.
    Sally’s heart sputtered in her chest like the engine on one of their fresh finds. To finally touch him, like this, with intent to do more—it amazed her. He was gentle, more than she would have expected. His thumbs brushed her cheeks as his fingers buried in the long strands of her hair.
    When her knees turned to motor oil, Alanso held her up, tucked tight to his frame.
    He lifted her toward his best friend, allowed the man to feast at her mouth.
    Eli’s tongue traced her smile. He nibbled on her bottom lip while she tried to shake herself from the stunned trance his touch induced. She purred, then kissed him back, clutching both him and Alanso as they made out in front of all the witnesses that mattered.
    With a moan, Cobra reversed a tiny bit. Just enough to angle her face toward Alanso.
    His fingers held her in place for his best friend.
    “Ah, mami chula .” The engineman’s endearment healed some of the wounds on her heart in an instant. Two weeks away had barely staunched the bleeding, but his hungry lips acted like a balm as they caressed hers. She rose up