by KB Winters
And damn she looked hot as hell squirming under the stars, her body bathed in moonlight. She’d have Fireball Whisky on her breath and my name on her lips.
A shudder tore through me and I groaned into the engine, the frustrated sound echoing back to me as it bounced off the steel and metal cage. Great. What better way to impress a new client than walking into the first official meeting sporting a hard on?
My cell phone buzzed against my thigh, and I wiped my hands on a grease rag and pulled the phone out. It was Kait: Good luck today.
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
I typed out a quick reply: I don’t need luck. She’s just a client.
Kait replied before I could stuff the phone back into my pocket: Whatever you say, baby bro! Good luck anyway!
I muttered under my breath, mimicking the message, and shoved the phone deep into the pocket of my cargo pants. I didn’t need Kait’s prissy sing-song voice in the back of my mind, my own voice and musings were more than I could take as it was.
I mean honestly, what did she think was going to happen? I’d kept my rehashing of the night two weeks ago as cut and dry as possible. I didn’t even give her a hint of the conflict rolling through my mind. Did I?
“Damn it, Kait.”
I supposed it was fair. She was the one who listened to all my drunk ramblings after Alyssa and I went our separate ways. That was a long time ago, my feelings were completely different now. There were reasons I ended things with Alyssa, and the good majority of those reasons still stood.
****
Hours later, the bell on the front door chimed and I jerked upright. I didn’t have a line of sight to the front door from my place in the back of the garage, but the door between the office and the bay was open and the sound came through clear as day. My heart kicked up into a frantic pace when Miles’s voice followed, “Afternoon, Mr. Wade, Ms. Archer. Come on in.”
I stiffened and hurried to wash my hands in the grungy sink in my shop. When they were as good as they were going to get, I dried them off on the cleanest towel I could find and then ran one through my hair, cursing the slight tremor.
Miles and Rafe started chatting and I listened with one ear perked for Alyssa’s voice. Miles invited them back to check out the Stingray I’d been busting my ass on all afternoon. Rafe agreed, but I heard Alyssa ask where the ladies room was located. Moments later, Miles led Rafe back into the shop and we shook hands. Rafe asked me a couple of questions about the Stingray which I answered like a robot. Miles watched me with an amused glint in his eyes.
“Finn, can you go see if Ms. Archer needs anything?” Miles said, flashing me a wide grin.
I was gonna kill him.
I ground my teeth but forced a smile. “Sure thing, boss.”
Miles smirked. He knew what was coming and didn’t care.
I stalked from the room and went through the door that led to the reception area. Alyssa was standing with her back toward me. She was looking at the large painting on the wall, her head slightly cocked to the right. I studied her for a second. Her curves were wrapped in a dark-colored dress that clung to her in all the right places. The hem fell a few inches above her knees. She wore dark stockings that got my mind racing, wondering what I’d find if I followed the seam on the back all the way up…
I cleared my throat to get her attention before my dark thoughts got too out of control. “Ms. Archer.”
Alyssa spun, her eyes wild, and her lips fell open.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you. Miles wanted me to see if you needed anything. Water, tea, coffee?”
“Oh, right,” she said with a nod. Her fingers went to her hair that was pulled back in a low ponytail. “Water would be fine. Thank you, Finn.”
It killed me when she said my name like that. All business.
There were so many other ways I preferred to hear the sound. A raspy whisper, a plea in the dark, or a satisfied moan when she collapsed over the edge of her own pleasure.
“Water, coming up,” I said, spinning on my heel to go to the mini fridge in the employee break room. I took two chilled bottles and paused at the sink to chug back half of the one I’d grabbed for myself.
I re-joined Alyssa at the painting and handed her the bottle. “You like it?” I asked, nodding up at the artwork.
She nodded. “Very much.”
“Then I’ll take that as a compliment,” I said before taking a sip of my own water.
She looked up at me with wide eyes. “You did this?”
I chuckled. “No. I just picked it out.”
“Oh.” She smiled. “I was gonna say…”
“Yeah, I wasn’t holding back some secret talent,” I replied softly.
She knew all of my talents. Intimately.
She must have been thinking the same thing because a delicious shade of pink appeared on her cheeks. She turned away and cracked the seal on her own water bottle. I studied her profile as she raised the bottle to her lips and held my breath as her lips wrapped around the neck.
“So, what kind of car are you thinking?” I said, backing away. “Miles is showing Rafe the Stingray I’ve been working on. And by working on, I mean trying to stop myself from lighting the whole damn thing on fire.”
Alyssa laughed and glanced at me. “You would never. You love cars too much. Anything with an engine and you have this almost profound sense of respect.”
I smiled. “That may be true. But still…it’s a pain in the ass.”
Her smile deepened and turned a shade mischievous. “What would you say is the toughest car you’ve worked on?”
I slipped one hand in the back pocket and leaned on the door jamb. “That’s a tough call.” I took another drink. Damn! She was just as amazing as before.
“Well, let me know so I can have Rafe get me one of those.”
I barked out a laugh. “I see! You just want to know so you can make my life difficult. And here I thought you were genuinely interested.”
Alyssa turned back to look at the second painting.
I took a small step forward and leaned in a little closer. “Of course, that would mean more time spent working together. So maybe that’s just a secret plan to come and see me.”
Alyssa’s eyes cut over to me. “Good point. I’ll keep my eye out for something ready to roll out of here tomorrow in that case.”
I nodded. “That’s what I figured.”
Alyssa turned abruptly. “Shall we?”
“Ladies first,” I said, waving a hand forward.
She sauntered past me and my eyes went to the sway of her hips. She tossed a suspicious look over her shoulder just in time to catch me staring at her ass. Her cheeks went pink even as she scowled with disgust. “Really?”
I reached past her, leaning in close enough to breathe her in, and smiled as her breath hitched in the back of her throat. My eyes traced the lines of her lips and they parted. Damn, I want her. Just like before.
She couldn’t be that much more different than before.
I pushed open the door and jerked my head for her to go through. She huffed and then stalked through. My heart sank as she made a beeline for Rafe and slid up beside him. His arm automatically wrapped around her the way long-term couples nestled together. The way we used to. Before I broke her heart. A bubble of irritation pushed up within me and my jaw tensed.
Miles smiled over at me, pleased as punch. “Mr. Wade is thinking maybe a nine eleven would be the right fit for Ms. Archer.”
“A nine eleven? No,” I scoffed, shaking my head.
All three of them looked at me with raised eyebrows and I realized too late what I’d done. I shrugged it off. “You ask me, she seems more like a Range Rover kind of woman.”
Rafe Wade’s narrowed. “Are you presuming to know more about my girlfriend than I do?”
Miles’s expression was a clear and obvious SOS sign.
I pocketed my hands and mustered every bit of cool casual I could find. “Not at all. It was only a
suggestion.”
Alyssa gawked at me for a second, but then recovered and painted on a sweet smile. She looked up at Rafe and set her palm on his chest as she leaned into him. “Maybe I could see both options and decide?”
Rafe looked ready to object, his eyes lingering on me for a moment longer before glancing down at Alyssa. He nodded. “Sure, baby. Whatever you want. This is your birthday gift. I just want you to be happy.”
She looked to Miles, ignoring me completely. “Mr. Warren—”
“Oh, please, Miles.”
“Right. Miles. Would you mind showing me some pictures of each one? I’m not very car savvy.”
Miles stretched out an arm and ushered her toward his desk where I knew he’d prepped several mock-ups based on his conversations with Rafe at the charity dinner and over emails.
I was left behind as the three of them moved to the consult table. I considered joining them, but decided against it and veered back into the employee break room. They didn’t need me. Least of all Alyssa.
Chapter Ten
Alyssa
Why didn’t he leave this alone? Why couldn’t he leave me alone? It was bad enough we were forced together, at least in some semblance of a partnership for however long it took to complete the custom car job. But that wasn’t enough for Finn. No, he had to make it impossible to ignore him every step of the way. Like I needed any help. He flashed me secret smiles, leaned in too close when he spoke, and brushed by me in a way that was casual and intimate all at once. He smelled like heaven, looked like pure sin, and with every charming word that dripped from his lips he was reeling me back into his web.
Even though I knew where it would lead.
Been there, done that. So why was I looking around for him as the meeting with Miles and Rafe dragged on? I didn’t care. I shouldn’t care.
And yet…there I was.
Miles was showing a 3D rendering of the car Rafe had selected and the two of them were chattering about something car related. I took the opportunity to scan the large shop for any sign of Finn. There were two office-sized rooms with windows but the shades on both of them were drawn. Besides that, I hadn’t seen him go into one of them. Where was he? What was he doing? Was he thinking about me as much as I was thinking about him? Had he been plagued by dreams and fantasies or was I alone in that too?
Maybe it was time to start going to my shrink again…
No. I just needed to get this car project out of my life as quickly as humanly possible. Then I could go back to normal life. Whatever that meant anymore. Every passing day I was seeing signs. Small cracks and fissures in the foundation I’d carefully laid with Rafe. Ever since the dinner party, I couldn’t ignore the differences between us. With each question came more doubts and even in the short space of a week, I was already feeling on shaky ground.
Sasha told me I was overreacting. She thought I should get pregnant and an engagement ring. Child support payments would be enormous should things go south. But when it came to Sasha’s world, I felt a little like Alice after her tumble down the rabbit hole into Wonderland. It was topsy-turvy and chaotic. I didn’t want to willingly join that life permanently and with sneaking suspicion, I was realizing that committing to Rafe would be the final lock on the cage. I wouldn’t be able to get out. At least not easily.
Rafe brushed his fingers over my bare forearm and I jerked in my seat. “Sorry, what?”
“Which color do you like better? The platinum or the titanium?”
Miles propped up the tablet in his hands so I could see the two side-by-side. I stared at the renderings and then shook my head. “Those are different?”
Miles chuckled. “Believe it or not, yes.”
Rafe looked at his watch. “You know what…” He pushed his sleeve back to cover the timepiece. “I’m actually running out of time. I’m going to be out of town for the next three weeks. I’ll be away on business in Toronto.”
Miles’s thick eyebrows rose. “Wow.”
Rafe shrugged. To him it was routine. He was constantly jet setting all over the country and on longer international trips at least once every six months. Normally I pouted when he left, but this time it was different. I was looking forward to having some time to think things through and make up my mind about what I wanted for my future. We were rapidly approaching a crossroads and I wanted to know which way I was headed before the signpost smacked me square in the face.
Miles put down the tablet and folded his hands together. He smiled at each of us in turn. “Well, I think I have enough information to get a custom mock-up. Once that’s signed off on, we can get started.”
“Great,” Rafe said. “While I’m gone, if you need anything, feel free to give Alyssa a jingle.”
I glanced at Rafe and then Miles. “Well, I don’t know that I’ll really know what to say…”
Miles gave me a warm, reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll make it easy on ya.”
I nodded. I still didn’t know where Rafe had gotten this idea that I needed, let alone wanted, some fancy, souped-up sports car. But he was leaving in a few days and my main focus was to send him off with a smile and a kiss and not have some argument lingering over my head the entire time he was gone. I had enough to think about.
Rafe pushed away from the table and stood up. I followed his lead and he reached over to rest his hand on my lower back. “Thank you, Miles. I’m eager to see what you come up with.”
Miles nodded and stood from the table as well. We all shook hands and then Rafe helped me into my coat. Once properly bundled, he led me out of the room. I glanced around on the way out, almost automatically, only realizing a split second later that I was looking for Finn. At the realization, I snapped my eyes forward and refused to let them flutter to the left or right. It didn’t matter where Finn was. I didn’t know what the future held, but I knew one thing with unflinching certainty—Finn Clarke was my past.
And no matter how much those grey eyes called to me, he had no place in my future.
****
“I can’t find it anywhere…” I muttered, my hands frantically digging through my purse.
We were halfway back to our building when I realized my cell phone was missing. I’d launched into a heart-pounding search but was coming up empty. It wasn’t in any of the pockets of my coat and I couldn’t find it in my purse. I tracked back through my steps. I knew I’d had it at the garage. I remembered feeling the buzz of a text message while Rafe and Miles got reacquainted in the small lobby. I’d taken my coat off and Miles had taken it from me and hung it on the back of a chair. Had it slipped from my pocket?
I looked over at Rafe. “Can you try calling it?”
Please, please let it be in the car. Tucked under the seat somewhere.
With an irritated sigh, Rafe tapped at the computer system built into the dash of his Bentley and dialed my number. I waited, one ear cocked, but heard nothing. The phone kicked to voicemail and Rafe tapped the screen to end the call. “When did you last see it? You know, I really don’t have time for this today, Alyssa.”
I frowned at him. “You think I do? I put off answering support emails to drive all this way to talk about some car I don’t even want!” I shook my head. Sometimes Rafe’s head was so far up his own ass I wondered how he could function. “I was going to try and log in from my phone and at least get something done today!”
Rafe growled something under his breath and stopped at a light. He twisted to look at me. “What do you want me to do? We’re almost to the freeway.”
The Open Road Garage was an hour and a half drive from Atlanta. If we got all the way home, I’d have to make time to come out and retrieve the phone the next day.
I shook my head. No, that wasn’t an option. I didn’t have time and I really didn’t want to see Finn two days in a row.
“It must have fallen out of my pocket, back at the garage. Can we turn around?”
Rafe sighed but hit the turn signal. “Fine.”
Twenty minutes later,
we’d backtracked to the garage parking lot. Rafe unlocked the doors but kept the engine running. It was clear by his frosty stare that he wasn’t coming in. I pushed out of the car and by the time I slammed the door shut, he was on the in-car speakerphone talking to Jackson.
Great. Now I get to listen to those two chatter away all the way home.
I took a deep, cleansing breath and pushed inside the garage. Finn was at the reception desk, his head bent over something in front of him. He didn’t glance up right away, but when he did, his eyebrows skyrocketed up his forehead. “Lyss?”
I gave him a sheepish smile. “I think I dropped my cell. Did Miles happen to find one?”
“I’m not sure. He didn’t mention it. Let me go ask.”
“Thanks.”
Finn pushed away from the desk on a rolling chair and then sprang forward like a large, graceful cat and slipped into the back. I looked over at the painting I’d been admiring before and a shiver snaked down my spine. The way Finn had leaned in, the spearmint scent on his breath, and the two days’ worth of scruff on his handsome face. My eyes fluttered closed and I sucked in a deep breath as if I could drink the moment in again.
What am I doing?
My eyes popped open again just as Finn reappeared. “He actually just stepped out. But if you wanna come back, we can look.”
I swallowed hard. “Okay. Yeah.”
I followed him back into the garage and went to the chair where Miles had laid my coat. “I think it might be here,” I said, starting to dig between the cushion and the frame of the chair.
Finn dropped into a squat and ran his hand under the chair. My body went tight. He was beside me, only a few inches separated his torso from my leg. I watched, instantly entranced by the play of muscles under his t-shirt. The cords of sinewy strength rolled and moved as he searched. My eyes moved down the lines of his back, to his narrow waist, and hips. Flickers of heat ran over my skin at the assault of memories. I could still remember what he looked like naked. The places I could touch to make him hiss and groan. The way his face looked when we made love. The color of his skin in the summer when he was out all day and got tan lines.