by Ruby Shae
“What do you want, Mitchell?” Clint asked.
Tad ignored him, and focused on his mate.
“It’s time to go.”
“I’m not ready yet,” she sassed back.
“Don’t care,” he said.
He bent down, grabbed her thighs, and lifted her over his shoulder.
“Well, okay then,” she giggled.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Mitchell?” Clint barked.
“It’s none of your business, Clint,” Declan warned.
Grateful his brother had his back, Tad turned and headed toward the door with an arm firmly clamped around his mate’s thick thighs. She laughed the entire time, swinging her arms behind him like a rag doll.
“You’re amazing,” she babbled. “I’ve never met a man who could lift me over his shoulder. Where are we going? I like your ass! Can I grab it?”
Luckily, they’d already reached the parking lot.
Before he could answer, she grabbed his flesh in both hands and he nearly came in his pants. Holding her was a challenge, and he couldn’t handle her roaming hands, too.
His free hand came down on her ass, but her reaction was the opposite of what he expected. Instead of feeling chastised, she squealed in delight, and his knees nearly buckled from the scent of her arousal.
“Oooo… I’ve never been spanked before. Hit me again, bad boy.”
Her laughter belied the serious tone of her request, but his mind zeroed in on the most important thing. She was begging him to spank her.
Fucking hell!
When he didn’t immediately comply, she started wiggling her ass.
“Stop squirming,” he barked, purposefully keeping his hands to himself. If he smelled her arousal again, he might not make it to his truck. “I’m not going to spank you again.”
“Awww… You’re no fun,” she pouted.
His noncompliance seemed to knock the fight out of her, and they reached his vehicle without another word. He opened the door, placed her on the seat, and reached around her to fasten the seatbelt.
“You’re pretty,” she said quietly, smelling his hair, “and you smell good, too.”
He smiled at her, thankful sleep seemed to be taking over.
“Thank you,” he said. “I think you’re pretty, too.”
“Liar,” she whispered, closing her eyes. “You’re not interested.”
She half-heartedly raised her arms to make air quotes with her fingers, and passed out after one quote.
Tad made sure all her limbs were completely inside the cab, and closed the door.
He couldn’t deny that it felt good to hold her in his arms, but that didn’t matter. He’d rescued her because it was the right thing to do, nothing more, and in the morning he would send her on her way.
He didn’t want a mate. Period.
Chapter Two
Audrey woke up and squinted at the bright light streaming through the crack in the curtain. Her room in the Bed and Breakfast was meant for a couple who rose before the sun, and she didn’t qualify. Pain shot through her skull, and she grabbed an extra pillow to cover her face, closed her eyes, and turned away from the light.
She inhaled deeply, hoping the lavender fragrance of the fabric softener would soothe the ache in her head, and stiffened. The not-so-subtle difference in the scent of the bedding caused her to open her eyes and survey the room.
Not the Bed and Breakfast.
Shit!
She sat up quickly, and fought off a wave of nausea as she took in the simple décor. Dark brown wood framed a matching dresser, headboard, and nightstand, and dark, midnight blue bedding covered the half of the bed she hadn’t slept in. The sight of the folded over comforter, blanket and extra pillows provided some comfort, but she breathed an audible sigh of relief when she realized her clothes were still intact.
The ankle boots she’d worn the night before were placed neatly by the door, side-by-side, and her cell-phone, car keys and cash waited for her on the nightstand next to a bottle of water and a container of ibuprofen.
The seal on the water hadn’t been broken, and she swallowed three of the pills before she had a chance to talk herself out of it. Whomever owned the room had obviously tried to help, and she desperately needed her headache to go away.
And coffee.
Maybe she would find some when she could walk without feeling like her head was about to explode.
Where the hell am I?
She downed the entire bottle of water, and tried to think as the medicine worked its magic. She remembered going to the bar and approaching the hottie at the counter, getting shot down, and then joining a group of boorish guys.
Please don’t let me be with the ringleader.
Hell, she should have left when Mister Perfect rejected her, but she’d been too proud to walk out, and later, she’d been too drunk. A couple of the guys were tolerable, but they weren’t the ones plying her with drinks and trying to get into her pants. As the night wore on, drunk Audrey became touchy Audrey, and the more aggressive men had started to get the wrong idea.
Another quick assessment of her clothes calmed her fears, and the rest of the night slowly started to come back.
Mister Perfect showed up to rescue her, she refused, and he threw her over his shoulder like she didn’t weigh anything at all. Remembering his strength excited her, until she remembered grabbing his ass, begging him to spank her, and calling him pretty. She buried her heated face in the nearby pillow, and silently screamed.
Thanks a lot, universe!
Great! She was in Mister Perfect’s home. Why did he have to be the one to help?
Maybe he’s married. Maybe that’s why he rejected you.
The thought gave her hope, but deep down, she knew better. Her luck hadn’t been that great lately, and doing the walk of shame in front of her rescuer seemed appropriately consistent with recent events in her life.
There was a reason she’d sworn off men, and this was a perfect example.
Time to face the music!
She had to face him sooner or later, so she might as well get it over with.
She grabbed her belongings off the nightstand and refilled her pockets, then she slid her feet into the ankle boots and zipped the short closures. Another deep breath fortified her nerves, and she slowly opened the door and stepped into the hall.
The familiar smell of coffee made her smile, but she had other things to take care of first, and she found the restroom quickly. She splashed cold water on her face, untangled her hair the best she could, and brushed her teeth with her finger. It wasn’t her usual minty fresh, but it worked in a pinch.
Audrey followed the coffee fragrance down the stairs, and through the large, spacious first floor, until she arrived in the kitchen. She’d expected to see Mister Perfect waiting for her, reading the paper or something, but the house seemed to be vacant.
She glanced around, located the coffee machine, and helped herself to a mug.
The dark wood in the kitchen matched the bedroom furniture, the bathroom cabinets, and what she’d seen of the rest of the house, and the midnight blue dishes were consistent of the bedding, towels and living room accents.
A sugar jar on the counter held packets of sweetener, and she found milk and cream in the nearly empty fridge. She leaned against the counter, slowly sipped the warm, soothing liquid, and listened to the faint sounds of metal clanking against cement.
When she reached the bottom of the mug and still found herself alone, she peeked out the kitchen window and found the source of the noise.
An auto-repair shop stood about twenty yards away.
***
Audrey left the house, and walked across the dirt separating the two buildings. There were no paths, no driveways, and basically no direct indication of how she should get to the front door of the shop, so she made her own way.
The area surrounding the two buildings was heavily forested, and she saw no signs of civilization except for the two
-lane, black asphalt road carefully hidden between the trees.
She turned in a circle to quickly take in her surroundings, and got her first glimpse of the house. The large, two-story structure stood proud among the greenery, and except for the repair shop, the place was surrounded by nature. The seclusion of the residence held appeal, and she couldn’t help but envy the owner.
She continued to the repair shop, and though there were no marked spaces, two cars were neatly lined up next to the entrance. The attention to detail reminded her of the way she’d found her boots neatly placed next to the bedroom door, and she smiled. It seemed Mister Perfect had more than good looks going for him.
Audrey put her hand on the handle of the glass door, braced herself, and glanced inside the shop. She fully expected to come face-to-face with her rescuer, but like the house, the place seemed vacant.
A small foyer held four space-saving, but comfortable-looking chairs, but they were all empty, and so was the spot behind the counter. As she pulled on the door, the Help Wanted sign in the window caught her eye, and she briefly wondered what it was for. She hadn’t started looking for a job yet, but she would need to find one soon, and she had no problems working for someone who found her completely uninteresting.
The sound of metal on concrete had steadily become louder as she made her way to the shop, and an extra loud clank sounded when she stepped inside. The familiar smells of motor oil and grease teased her nose, but the odors weren’t pungent, unlike other repair places.
Behind the counter, an open door led to what looked like a storage room, and to the left, an invisible wall led to two repair bays. The rolling doors were located in the back of the building, and they were both raised, letting in both light and fresh air.
One of the vehicles sat completely unattended, but she could hear someone working under the hood of the other.
“Hello?”
Another loud clank echoed around the building, followed by a whispered curse, and then Mister Perfect stepped into her view, wiping his hands on an already greasy towel.
He wore a surprisingly white t-shirt with three tiny holes near his belly button, loose, faded, well-worn jeans, and black steel-toed boots. His dark brown hair looked lighter with the sun behind him, but his dark eyes were exactly how she’d remembered them.
Fucking hell!
Deep down, she’d honestly hoped her memory had been better than the real thing, or that she’d somehow created this perfect person in her mind because she’d been so desperate for validation. Having random sex with a stranger hotter than her ex would have given back some of her shaky confidence.
Except every man in Grayslake was hotter than her ex, and she hadn’t wanted to sleep with anyone except him. Her pussy throbbed, and she leaned forward on the counter so he couldn’t see her press her thighs together.
Even though he regarded her with obvious frustration, she still wanted him, which was probably the best reason to try and stick around. There was absolutely no chance of anything happening between them, and she could resume her initial plan to give up men.
“Hello,” he called back.
His annoyed stare was a bit unnerving, but she chose it ignore it. Hopefully, he wouldn’t hold last night against her.
“Thank you for rescuing me last night, and for the water and the meds. And the coffee. I had a cup, I hope that’s okay. I’m sorry about grabbing your ass, and…,” she nervously waved her hand around in front of her, “the other stuff.”
Oh hell, she was babbling like an idiot. Wonderful.
“You’re welcome,” he said, simply. “Your car is parked next to the house on the other side of my truck.”
She glanced back toward the house, and nodded as she wrapped her mind around his thoughtfulness. He’d used the truck to drive her home, so he must have gone back for her vehicle.
“You went back for my car?”
“Yeah.”
“Thank you.”
“I didn’t do it for you,” he admitted. “I have a lot of work to do, and I don’t have time to stop and play chauffer because some stranger decided to drink too much.”
Audrey knew the words were meant to be insulting, but they were also the truth.
“You’re right,” she nodded, “you don’t, but I still appreciate your efforts.”
“Okay,” he cleared his throat. “When you exit the driveway, turn left and follow the road all the way down until you hit Main Street. It’s not too far, but all the trees might make it feel like you’re going the wrong way. You’re not. Once you hit Main Street, everything should start to look familiar.”
“I know Main Street,” she agreed. “I’ve eaten at the diner a couple of times.”
“Good,” he called over his shoulder as he turned back toward the car he’d been working on. “Drive safe.”
A clear dismissal. Too bad she didn’t care.
“What’s the Help Wanted sign for?”
He visibly froze, and then slowly faced her again, but he wasn’t happy.
“Office manager. I need someone to man the counter, answer the phones, and do some simple bookkeeping.”
“I can do that. I’ve been running the front office in my dad’s medical practice for years, and I also have a certificate in accounting.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“Why not?” she asked. “You need help, and I need a job. I could use a room to rent, too. Do you live in that big house all by yourself?”
“I do.”
“Care to rent me a room? I’m staying at the Bed and Breakfast, and seeing couples and their crap everywhere is driving me insane. I only stopped there because I couldn’t find a hotel in this town, and I was sick of driving.”
***
She wanted a job, and a room?
What. The. Fuck?
Tad was literally living a nightmare, and he saw no end in sight.
After he’d driven her back to his place the night before, he found himself doing unspeakable things like taking off her shoes, placing water and meds on the nightstand, and driving back to the bar so Declan could help him return with her car.
His brother had worn a damned knowing smile the entire time, but to his credit, the man stayed quiet and willingly helped without offering unwanted advice or criticism.
Tad told himself he was helping so she could leave sooner, but he also wanted her to feel comfortable and safe in his home, and that had everything to do with him and nothing to do with the fact that his house and business were off the beaten path.
The realization had been a reality check, and he’d quickly devised a plan to get rid of her as soon as possible.
It had almost worked, too.
Damn that Help Wanted sign!
Why hadn’t he thought to take it down?
Tad racked his brain for any viable reason—besides, I don’t want you here—not to hire her, or let her rent a room, but he knew it was a waste of time. All she had to do was ask, and she could have whatever she wanted, but she didn’t have to know that. Honestly, he never wanted her to know that, so he tried the only tactic he could think of.
“I do need help, but you’re clearly attracted to me, and I don’t think becoming your boss is a good idea. Aside from the fact that I’m not interested in you, I don’t want a relationship now or in the future. I could do anything to give you the wrong impression, and I just don’t have the time to constantly monitor my behavior.”
Anger rolled off of her in waves, but he smelled her rage, rather than saw it. On the outside, she remained calm, and he couldn’t help but be impressed.
“I’m not attracted to you—”
“Oh really? You changed your mind overnight?”
He hated being so blunt, but he wanted to give her a reason to leave.
“Fine,” she spat, “you’re gorgeous. I doubt there’s a woman in the world who isn’t attracted to you, however, I understand you don’t feel the same about me, and I can be a professional. Besides, I’m not look
ing for a relationship either. In fact, I’m done with men for a long time.”
“And last night was…?”
“A mistake. I was feeling sorry for myself, and went looking for an ego boost. Obviously, it wasn’t a well thought out plan, and I blame the stupid B&B. You saw first-hand why I have to get out of there.”
He felt one half of his face try to give in and smile, but he fought the urge. He knew plenty of women who weren’t attracted to him, but he only cared what she thought, and hearing her praise made his cock swell. Soon, he’d have to take off his shirt and accept her aversion, but not yet.
Something she’d said earlier bothered him, and he needed to know what she was running from. Especially if she was going to be living with him.
Fuck me!
“Why did you come to Grayslake? What are you running from?”
She stared at him for a full minute before responding.
“I caught my fiancé cheating on me at my cousin’s wedding two weeks ago. I’m from a small town in California, and almost everyone in town had been invited to the wedding, and those that weren’t came anyway. My fiancé was the best man, and I was one of the bridesmaids. During the reception, his microphone switched on as he was going down on one of the out-of-town guests in a storage closet.
“Hearing her wasn’t the worst part, though. The worst part was listening to him describe, in detail, how repulsive he found my body, and then admitting how many times he’d cheated on me. To her credit, the woman hadn’t known he was engaged, and she left the room as soon as she found out, but the damage was already done.
“He immediately apologized, of course, but I couldn’t forgive him. Unfortunately, everyone else could, and overnight, in their eyes, I went from a confident woman who had it all, to a pitiful ugly duckling. The only person who stayed on my side, was my best friend, Kaylee, but she wasn’t enough of a reason to stay.
“He works in my father’s office, too, so I not only had to see him every day, but I had to endure the looks of pity and backhanded comments about my weight from well-meaning family and friends. I only lasted a week before I jumped in my car and headed east, and after a week of driving, it was either stop here, head north, or drive into the Atlantic, so I opted to stop.”