“Oh.” She gave him a little wave. “Hello.” She felt her face flush, palms grow sweaty.
He smiled, all straight, white teeth and attractive dimples. What was it with this place? Were all the men this good looking, this ridiculously tall? Was it a job requirement?
“Nice to see you again, honey.”
She forced a smile, her nerves now twice as bad with all this attention on her. “Yes, you too.”
The other guy groaned. “Typical.”
Shay had no idea what he meant, but Adam chuckled. It was rough and deep and kind of dark, but it sent a delightful tingle down her spine. “Unfortunately, in this instance, she’s not mine.”
Not mine?
Hugh’s brother perked up and moved closer. “Well, move along then; I was just about to see to her needs.” He winked. “So, what can I do for you?”
If her face was any hotter, her skin would start melting off. “Hugh? I mean…is he here?”
The hopeful look on his face dropped then his head tilted to the side, giving her another once over, and he cursed under his breath. “Shit. Sorry, babe, didn’t recognize you out of your Woody’s uniform.” He motioned to her head. “It’s your hair, right? It’s different?”
She guessed she did look different out of that dreadful uniform, and she’d worn her hair in what she hoped was a cute, retro ponytail today instead of leaving it down.
Turning his head toward the back of the shop, he half growled, half yelled. “Hugh! Get your ass up here.”
There was a scrape and a clatter, then a second later, she saw him, walking out from the back of the workshop. He was scowling at his brother, but then his gaze shifted to her, and as soon as he saw her, his expression went blank.
Oh, dear.
She locked her knees when they started to shake. His eyes stayed on her as he strode forward. Her gaze drifted over him as he moved. He was wearing pretty much the same clothing as he had the other night. Faded jeans and a T-shirt, this one black, as well, straining over his magnificent chest. There was grease streaked on his cheek and forehead, and when he lifted a hand, running his fingers through his sexily tousled hair, his thick biceps rolled and bunched, stretching the sleeve to the limit.
She swallowed, hard, fingers flexing around the strap of her bag, and forced another smile. “Hello, Hugh.”
He stopped in front of her, crossing his heavily muscled arms. “Shay.” His brow scrunched. “What’re you doing here?”
His voice rumbled through her, lighting fires and setting off tremors in all her erogenous zones. Great, she was getting turned on when he was obviously not happy to see her. So much for his mouth hitting the floor when he saw her in this stupid dress. Not that she wanted that. Of course, she didn’t. Why she’d listened to Jane in the first place, she had no idea. He probably thought she was going to turn all needy and clingy after one night together.
Desperate. Pathetic.
Travis’s words echoed in her head.
She ignored them, forced them down and straightened her spine. Self-preservation kicked in, and a strength she didn’t know she possessed rushed forward. She embraced it. Clung onto it with all she was worth. She knew herself well enough to know it wouldn’t last long. She wasn’t one of those feisty women, full of confidence and attitude, but she still carried enough residual anger from her disaster of a relationship with Travis, enough to get her through this encounter without looking as desperate and pathetic as he thought she was.
She smiled wider, doing her best to exude confidence, something she most certainly did not feel in that moment. Pulling one of the straps of her bag off her shoulder, she rummaged around until she found his keys. “You left these at my place the other night. I thought they might be important. I’m returning them.”
His expression changed, softened a little as he took them from her. His grease-covered fingers brushed hers, rough and warm, and she shivered.
“Thanks, sweetheart. I’ve turned my place upside down looking for them. Forgot I had them with me the other night.”
Gah! Why did he have to go and call her sweetheart? The way he’d said it all growly and sexy when he’d been inside her had been on replay in her traitorous mind since he’d walked out. Remembering the sound of his voice had also left her in a constant state of low-level arousal, just humming below the surface, waiting to be ignited. So it wasn’t a surprise when that lust flared to life, just like that, as if he’d tossed another log on the fire in her loins. Damn him.
“Not a problem.” She took a step back. “Anyway, I’ll let you get back to work.” Then she added, because her grandmother raised her to use her manners, “Nice to see you again.” Though “nice” wasn’t the correct word to describe how seeing him again had affected her.
She turned to leave, but Hugh grabbed her arm, halting her escape. Her belly flipped as she lifted her brows in question, in what she hoped was bored curiosity, when in reality she thought her heart might beat right out of her chest.
He tilted his head to the street. “Where you goin’ now? You got plans?”
“Just home. No plans.”
“You wanna get a drink? We were gonna close up in a few, anyway.”
She wanted to say yes, badly. But this man, her mountain man, he was dangerous. She couldn’t risk falling for someone like him, got the feeling if she did, the impact when she hit the ground would cause a heck of a lot more damage than what Travis had left behind. She couldn’t risk it. Refused to put herself in a situation like that again. A beautiful memory, that’s all Hugh could ever be.
She took a step back. “I can’t; I’m sorry.”
His hands went to his hips, gaze boring into her. “You said you didn’t have plans.”
“I don’t.” The words were out before she realized how they sounded. She inwardly winced. She sucked at lying, always had, and tended not to whenever possible.
Adam made a choking noise behind Hugh, and his brother barked out a startled laugh then proceeded to explode into hysterics. Oops.
Hugh’s eyes narrowed on her, and he opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off before he managed to change her mind.
“I better go.”
“Shay…”
“Bye now!” Her voice was overly loud and kind of wobbly. Spinning on her heels, she hustled out of Hugh’s magnetic force field…before she got sucked in and never got out.
His curse was loud enough she heard it as she walked away.
* * *
Hugh finished checking the transmission fluid in the Toyota and moved on to the radiator hose that needed replacing. He kept his head down, out of the way, because he sure as hell wasn’t in the mood to talk. Shay had walked out of his workshop an hour ago, and he was still fighting himself, trying to stop from going after her. What the hell would he even say? It was a dumb idea. So he kept busy. If he was a different man, just a guy who owned a garage, who loved to work on cars—things could be different. But he wasn’t that man.
Not anymore.
He’d wanted to be a mechanic for as long as he could remember. Ever since he was a kid. Had gotten a job in a garage as soon as he could. Had always known he wanted his own shop one day. He hated that Al had twisted it, turned it into something he could no longer be proud of.
“Yo!” Joe called. “I’m taking off.”
Hugh stood, wiped his hands. “Where’s Adam?”
“Office.”
He gave his brother a chin lift and closed the hood. Joe walked out, and Hugh headed toward the front of the shop, as well. Adam was on the phone, so Hugh took advantage of the fact and left before his friend could stop him. Leaving Adam to close up on his own wasn’t cool, but he would question Hugh about Shay, and he wasn’t going there. There was nothing to talk about.
He climbed into his truck, fired it up and headed for home.
Twenty minutes later—and he still didn’t know how the hell it happened—he found himself sitting in his pickup, staring across the road into The Happy
Armadillo freaking Trailer Park. The name was messed up, no doubt, too damn cute, and by the looks of it, full of old people. But he’d never wanted to be anywhere more in his life.
What would Shay do if he rocked on up and knocked on the door? Would she welcome him in or turn him down again? Press those abundant curves against him and kiss him hello? His cock stirred. Shit, this wasn’t like him. He didn’t go back for seconds. He was a “hit it once and get the hell gone” kind of guy. He had to be. He didn’t need the complications in his life; he had enough of those already.
Their deadbeat, asshole of a father had seen to that. Then he’d disappeared. Hugh had tried to track him down, but the bastard was smoke. Either that, or someone had fitted him with a set of concrete shoes and taken him for a swim. The guy had never been smart, had made a lot of enemies, and the longer he stayed away, the more Hugh was convinced it was the latter.
He should probably feel bad, have some remorse. He didn’t feel shit. The debt the old man had dumped on Hugh and Joe had nearly sunk them both.
After the meet with Don, he should never have taken what Shay offered, not when he knew deep down staying away wouldn’t be easy—he gripped the steering wheel—and not with Al coming after them. Shit.
He couldn’t have her, but he couldn’t regret it, either. Fuck no. Shay had been the sweetest piece he’d ever had. So much more than he’d imagined, and since the night he’d seen her in that costume, looking sweet and sexy as all hell, he’d imagined. A lot.
The woman was a mystery. Talked like class, dressed up like Poison Ivy, and lived in a goddammed pink trailer.
He straightened in his seat when Shay’s door swung open, and the woman in question stepped out. Her hair was up in one of those messy buns, and she was wearing little pale-blue shorts and a tank that clung to her soft, round tits. Jesus. Was she wearing her PJs?
Christ, she was.
He wanted to go to her, pull her inside and peel those innocent-looking articles of clothing from her lush body and corrupt her every way he could think of.
She walked over to the trailer next to hers, calling something out before opening up without knocking. A few minutes later, she came out with a dog, one of those little rat-looking ones. She clipped on a lead and walked the rodent around a grassy area in the center of the park. The dog sniffed around, took a dump, then Shay picked it back up and went back to her neighbor’s. The door opened, and a frail old woman stood there, arms out for the dog. Shay helped her back inside and shut the door behind them.
Shay was sweet.
The kind of woman who would help an elderly neighbor. The kind who lived in a cute pink trailer and proudly had on display in her living room an entire shelf of ceramic fucking cats. She was not for him. She was naive. Enough that she’d take home a total stranger and trust him with her body. He’d gotten the feeling that was a first for her. She’d been all in, but she’d also been a little hesitant, a little shy. The type of women he usually slept with had the moves, knew what they wanted as much as he did. Shay had lacked skill, but she’d more than made up for it with her enthusiasm. That subtle innocence had been as sexy as hell. Shit, she was the best he’d ever had.
For some reason, he couldn’t drive away. Not until he’d seen her one more time. Thirty minutes passed before she came back out and headed to her own place.
Hugh watched her move, the way her tits and ass swayed as she walked, the way her soft red hair bounced.
“Shit.” He needed to stay away, but he was starting to think that was easier said than done.
Before he changed his mind, he started his truck and pulled out onto the road, cursing himself for being the fool he was the whole way home.
Chapter Six
Shay turned her back on the crowded bar and drew in a steadying breath.
Birthday drinks! How could she have forgotten what today was? She’d walked in to start her shift and nearly turned around and ran back out again. But that wasn’t something she could do, not when she needed the money so badly. Plus, it would put extra pressure on the other waitresses if she left, and that wouldn’t be fair.
She had to deal with it, deal with the fact that right at this very moment, more than half of the TBS Designs staff, including Travis, were laughing and drinking at a table in her section.
Vinnie’s brows lifted as he slid a tray full of drinks her way. “You okay, Shay?”
She wasn’t. Not at all. “I’m…I don’t think I can…”
Amanda dumped her tray on the bar. “That your ex, hon?” She jerked her chin toward TBS’s table.
“Yes. Would you mind…?”
“I’m on it. Let me deal with king douche.”
Some of the tension left Shay’s shoulders when she released a relieved breath. “I owe you.”
Throwing Shay a wink, Amanda headed across the bar to the crowded table and started taking orders. Not everyone who worked at TBS was like their horrid boss, and Shay felt bad for not going over and at least saying hello.
As it turned out, she had an excuse for avoiding them—the place filled fast, and she was nonstop just keeping up with her tables. She was heading back to the bar after delivering a round of drinks when someone grabbed her elbow, pulling her to a stop. Shay spun around and came face to face with Travis. Wonderful.
“Shay?”
She didn’t bother answering. It was obviously her. And how much of a surprise could it be seeing her here, when he knew damn well this is where she worked. She raised a brow in question, mustering up the same fake attitude she’d used on Hugh the day before, pretending this didn’t affect her, didn’t upset her.
He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’ve missed you around work…I’ve missed you.”
Seriously? “I doubt that very much. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have drinks to deliver.”
He grabbed her arm again. “Please, will you talk to me, let me explain? You won’t answer my calls…”
He called her several times a week, not to mention the continuous texts. He needed to take the hint, already. “There’s nothing to explain. I heard what you said, the way you truly felt…”
“You overreacted, were oversensitive. I was just kidding around, Shay. You know how it is, right?”
No, she didn’t. If you cared about someone, had real feelings for that person, you did not ridicule them. You certainly didn’t put them down because you were embarrassed people found out you were seeing them.
“I have to go.” She pulled her arm free and rushed to the bar. He’d seen her, talked to her face to face, heard her tell him she wasn’t interested; maybe now he’d leave her alone. Maybe now he’d stop calling.
The rest of the night was thankfully uneventful. A couple of her old friends from TBS came over to talk to her when she was collecting drinks. Most knew why she’d left her job, and more than a few had heard his hurtful comments and let her know what they thought of him. But he was their boss—that was all the support she could expect, and she appreciated it. But now, she just wanted to put it behind her, all of it.
Three hours later, the place had thinned out, and her feet felt like they had their own heartbeat. She was ready for a hot mug of cocoa followed by bed. Unfortunately, she was still a bus ride away, which sucked, since she needed to be up early to let Edna’s dog Rocky out, followed by a shift at Raggedy Jane’s, then a website design to finish for a client. Thankfully, Jane’s was walking distance and didn’t require public transport.
Shay handed in her tips to be split between the waitresses. The manager divided them up and handed over her share. They’d done well. But she’d need a few more nights like this to cover everything for the month.
She grabbed her jacket from behind the bar, slung her bag over her shoulder and waved goodbye. “Night, Amanda, thanks again for covering my table.”
“Anytime, hon. See you Monday.”
She sucked in the cool night air as soon as she walked through the door. She usually enjoyed her shifts at Woody’s, but tonight
, she felt deflated and exhausted. Keeping it together had been harder than she thought. She hadn’t talked to Travis face to face since she walked into his office, told him she’d heard what he’d said, and walked out without giving notice. At the time, she’d believed she’d loved him…that he’d loved her. Idiot.
“Shay, wait.”
She stiffened then turned around. Her ex-boyfriend stood by the door, leaning against the wall.
“What are you still doing here?” she asked.
“I was waiting for you.”
“I don’t know why…”
“You do.”
Travis walked up until she had nowhere to go, the chain-link fence surrounding the parking lot at her back.
“You need to let me explain,” he said.
“I don’t need to do anything.”
“Please, Shay.”
“Why are you doing this?” she whispered.
He blew out a breath. “I made a mistake. I thought…”
“You thought what?” She straightened her spine.
“Look.” He lifted a hand, fingers curling around the fence beside her head. “Don’t take this the wrong way…but you’re just you, and I’m the manager of a highly successful business. My family is wealthy, have connections, expect certain things. The woman on my arm needs to behave a certain way.”
He dropped his hand to the side of her neck, and she flinched at his touch, the way it made her skin crawl.
“Shay, that woman needs to look a certain way.”
“Travis…”
“I mean I love the curves. I do. You know that.”
His gaze did a sweep of her body, and she inwardly cringed at the bulge at the front of his trousers. Gross.
“I’ve missed the curves a lot, darling. All I’m asking is that you lose a few pounds. I don’t know. Maybe get a makeover? Get your hair and make-up done by a professional. Get someone to help you out with your clothes? What we had was special. I want it back.” He smiled down at her, eyes softening, as if his words would have her jumping for joy. “It’s not much to ask to get us back, don’t you think? I want you back, Shay.”
Swerve: Boosted Hearts (Volume 1) Page 6