Page 6 of Bear

CHAPTER TWO

Jupiter

“Hey Juju.” My brotherJeb sticks his head around the doorframe to the office. When Jeb was a baby, he couldn’t quite make out Jupiter, so he called me after his favorite candy and it just kind of stuck. It’s still one of my favorite things about him—although—it seems like all my brothers call me that now. “You about done with that Harley?”

“That’s what I been asking for days,” Bobby Ray shouts from the workshop.

I flip him the bird, even though I know he can’t see me. “No. I haven’t even started yet.”

My youngest brother’s throat bobs as he swallows. “Um ... is there a reason? The part came in two days ago.”

I glare at him. “How about because I’m busy as fuck, and I’m the only one who seems to be able to file paperwork around here. What is this receipt I’m looking at for the diner?”

“I think Liam got it in his head that he could pay for lunch on the company card to impress that new waitress.”

“Well, Liam can see how impressive it is when I dock it from his pay!” I shout the last part, though I know he can’t hear me above the engine hoist. “I swear to God, if it wasn’t for me, you boys would have run Daddy’s garage into the ground by now.”

“Come on, Juju. It’s not like this hasn’t always been your place.” He gives a humorless laugh. “Your name is on the damn sign.”

“What’s your point, Jeb?”

“Nothin’.” He shakes his head and runs a hand over the sporadic stubble on his jaw. As the second youngest of four and fresh out of high school, Jeb keeps growing that damn thing as if he needs to prove he’s now a man. “Um ...” He clears his throat. “That biker keeps comin’ by to check on your progress, and he’s ... er—”

“Well, unless that biker wants to take his shitty Harley somewhere else, that biker can just keep coming to check on his bike. I’ll get to it when I can,” I say impatiently and glance back down at my paperwork.

“Now, is that really any way to treat a client?” a gruff voice asks, and I jump in my seat.

Tennessee.

My stack of receipts flies from my hand and rains down around me. I stare at those clear blue eyes so full of mirth, and I want to punch the big, handsome son of a bitch.

“Didn’t mean to scare you, Tink.”

“You didn’t.”

“Uh-huh. That’s what them papers flying everywhere means.” He enters my office and grabs the door handle, moving to close it.

Jeb’s brows shoot skyward, and he turns to leave. “I’ll just ... um ... go.”

Tennessee closes the door, affectively shutting out my brothers and the garage beyond. “That’s better.”

“Do you mind?” I ask, pushing to my feet. “You can’t just come in here and—”

“Shh.” He turns the lock on the back of the knob and heads across the room. Tennessee’s completely unfazed by my protests, he pulls the vacant chair from the corner and sets it in front of my desk. He parks his ass in the seat and then his chunky motorcycle boots land on the cedar, depositing mud and debris on my paperwork.

I see red. “What the fuck is your problem?”

“I’m a biker.”

“Uh ... yeah. Look, I know you clearly don’t think much of the female population, but here’s a tip—we don’t need you to draw us a fucking diagram.”

“You didn’t let me finish.” He tilts his chin at my chair. “Sit down.”

“In case you hadn’t noticed, this is my office. I don’t take kindly to men ordering me around in it.”

“Really? So I guess you’ve never had sex in here, huh?”

“I work with my brothers.”

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