Page 43 of Reckless Curves
“Hey!” she protested.
Marcus said, “I’ll get that for you since he won’t. You don’t need to strain something.”
Tom took Marcus by the shoulder. “Let her do it. There will be no one out on the road to help her. She has to learn to do this for herself.”
Marcus shrugged him off. “I can teach her, then.”
“You haven’t before? I’m happy to do it.” Tom shook his head. “She needs to learn the whole process from start to finish.”
Kendra grabbed hold of the donut and tried to wrestle it away from Marcus. “I want to do it. Truly. Tom is right. I can’t always rely on anyone being available to help me, and you know me. I hate being helpless.”
Marcus was immovable thanks to his brawny, superior strength. “You’re making me feel like shit. You’re right, I should have taught you this stuff. So let me.”
“You and I would fight. I’ll stick with Tom.” Kendra refused to give in and gave it a hard tug. Her hands slipped off the donut and she fell hard on her ass. Pain shot up her back and she let out a loud cry.
Tom jumped around Marcus and kneeled by her. “Don’t move. Where are you hurt?”
Marcus appeared next to Tom in Kendra’s line of vision. Both men’s eyes filled with concern.
She gritted her teeth for a moment and then let her breath out. Sometimes she wanted to knock these guy’s heads together. Over protective or what? “I’m fine.” She sat up, and Tom supported her shoulders.
“Did you hit your head?” he asked.
“No. I’m fine. I just want to get up and finish the job,” she replied.
Marcus shook his head as Tom helped her up. “I think you’ve had enough for the day.”
Kendra tried to rein in her temper, but Marcus was pushing all her buttons. This is what he always did. He tried to protect her from things she did not need protection from. She wasn’t sick anymore. She thought of Tom and all the wasted years. Marcus was ruining what had been a lovely morning with Tom. “I’ll tell you what I’ve had enough of; you, bossing me around.” She poked Marcus’ broad chest. “Stop interfering. Tom was doing just fine instructing me until you showed up. I can do this!”
“Why Tom? Why not Sully?” Marcus said, eyeing Tom with suspicion.
She flashed a gaze at Tom and took a deep breath. Like a band aid, she ripped it off. “I can make my own decisions, like whether I want to learn how to fix a car, or who I want to date!”
Marcus’ eyebrows shot up. “Who you want to date? What are you talking about? Are you dating someone?”
Tom nodded at the question in her eyes. She put her hand on Marcus’s arm and quietly said, “Yes. I’m dating Tom!”
Stepping closer to her, Tom put an arm around Kendra’s shoulders. “That’s right.”
Marcus looked between them and then his gaze bored into Tom’s. “You lied to me the other day, you son of a bitch. You told me you were kidding about Kendra. You know how I feel about this, but you went behind my back anyway.”
That did it. Marcus needed to hear the truth. “Who do you think you are? I love you dearly big brother but it’s my life. I fought really hard for the curtesy to live it. What gives you the right to warn someone away from me? Who I date, who I sleep with, or who I don’t, isn’t any of your business!”
Marcus pointed at Tom. “He’s not the right guy for you. He’s my best friend, and a good guy, but he’s not the settling down type, and you’re not the type of woman who just screws a guy and moves on to the next one. Look how the last guy treated you. He took off and left you pregnant and all on your own.”
Tom’s jaw tightened; Marcus’ disapproval obviously bothered him. “Thanks, Marcus. Nice to know that you don’t think I’m good enough for Kendra. Good to know what you really think of me.” Tom didn’t blame Marcus. He was probably right. Tom had never had a long-term relationship. He’d let no woman close. What was the point, marriage wasn’t a priority to a man like him—but suddenly none of that rang true to him because it was important to him now?
Marcus said, “Tom, you know that I think of you as a brother, but I gotta be honest. You’ve chased skirts all over the world, just like me. You’re not cut out for a serious relationship. I’m not saying that in a shitty way. I’m not cut out for that either. Neither of us will ever settle down. We both know it. I don’t want Kendra to get hurt.”
“Like she said; Kendra is a big girl and can handle herself. We are dating, it’s not a crime. It’s a shame you don’t give her—and me—more credit. Do you think I’d do anything to hurt her?”
Marcus didn’t give any ground. “I don’t think you’d mean to, but it’s just who we are. We are not one-woman men. I love Kendra, but I think her judgment is a little off sometimes. Like when she let some guy get her pregnant and refused to tell me who it was. Now she’s a single mom trying to make ends meet.” He threw a hard look at Kendra. “Which is why she’s always borrowing money from me.” His gaze returned to Tom’s. “I don’t want something like that happening again.”
“It won’t. My song writing is beginning to pay. I’ve even moved into a new rental on Tom’s street. He told me about it and I grabbed it.” She wasn’t really lying, just not revealing the whole truth.
“On Tom’s street. How convenient,” Marcus hissed.
Tom looked pissed at Marcus. “You’re a real asshole to talk about your sister like that. Throwing Connor in her face. Nice way to show her you love her.”
