by Mia Carson
A message waited for him on the machine in his room. Tommy had called back, saying to keep him posted about his car and the town but said he might not want to call his mom just yet. ‘She’s headed to crazy town’ were his exact words.
“She can wait,” he agreed and tossed the bags of new clothes on his bed. “I’m not headed home anytime soon.”
A shower and a nap, in that order. That was what he needed. Maybe later, he’d check out the diner and see if there was a bar in town. A glass of whiskey would be a perfect ending to this shitty weekend.
Can’t say it was all bad, he told himself as he turned on the shower. You did meet one hot-ass mechanic. Maybe she’ll be your first lay since Jenny.
The woman didn’t seem interested in him, but he had some time. Shower first, and he’d worry about charming this woman into his bed for at least one incredible night smelling of honeysuckle and oil.
Chapter 4
Kris cursed the heat again and slipped her arms out of the sleeves of her jumpsuit, revealing her tight tank-top beneath. She tied the sleeves together behind her and went right back to work under the hood of the old Mustang. The car was in decent condition for the most part, but she had no idea what the hell he’d done to the poor thing to kill it like this. The battery was shot, but that wasn’t the worst of it. The engine had overheated, and she worried the time had come for a whole new one. This was the original, and nothing lasted forever.
The battery was an easy fix, but the engine for this car was extremely specific and expensive. Everything else looked alright, but any other repairs would be drops in the bucket compared to what she needed to fix if he wanted his car running again.
Wiping her face with a clean rag to clear away some of the sweat and grease, she sat down at her shop’s computer and searched for the engine she would need. The closest one was in Michigan, but it would take nearly a week to get to her and another few days after that to put it in. The price was close to ten grand, but since the guy wore tux pants like they were jeans, Kris wasn’t worried about his money. The clock on the wall said it’d been about an hour since she’d dropped him off—plenty of time to settle in.
Grabbing the information for him, she shoved loose strands of hair from her face and marched out of the garage. Several people stood outside the inn, staring up at the windows. Kris paused before she crossed the street and pushed her way through them. Edmund might be able to afford the repairs, but she doubted he’d survive nearly two weeks in her town where people couldn’t keep their noses to themselves.
“Excuse me,” Kris said as she reached the front door of the inn.
“Where are you going?” Molly, a woman her age who worked in the retail shop down the street, asked.
“To see my latest customer,” she said and hoped that would be the end of it.
Molly rushed around her and blocked her path. “Wait, that hot guy is your new customer?”
“His Mustang broke down outside of town,” Kris explained. “Can I please go deliver the news to him about his car?”
“What’s his name? How long is he staying? Can you introduce me?” Molly rattled on, and Kris burst out laughing. “What? A new guy comes to town and I can’t be excited?”
“You sound like a stalker.” Kris smirked. “Give the guy a night to settle in before you throw your brand of crazy at him.” She tried to move again, but Molly held her back, bouncing on her heels. “Weren’t you just dating Benji?”
“Was, past tense,” Molly said, brushing the words away with a wave of her hand.
Kris pried her hand free gently and stepped backwards into the inn. “Let him have tonight to deal with the bad news of his car. Tomorrow, I’ll be sure to send him to the diner for lunch. You can bump into him then.”
Molly pouted but finally nodded. “You’re right. I’ll back off for the moment, but I call dibs.”
Laughing, Kris walked up to the front desk and rang the bell. “All yours, Molly, I want nothing to do with him.”
“I don’t know why not. You’re single, too.”
“Thanks for reminding me,” Kris muttered and rang the bell again. “Grams!”
“I’m coming, child,” she yelled back. “Give an old woman a break.”
“Just tell me what room the new guy’s in,” she called back.
“Check the ledger,” Grams said grumpily. “My back’s acting up again.”
Kris walked around the front desk and peeked into the back office to see Grams with her feet up in the old camo recliner, a bowl of popcorn on her lap, a beer in hand, and her favorite soap playing on the old tube TV. Crossing her arms over her chest, Kris leaned on the doorframe and eyed her Grams.
“Your back hurts, huh?”
Grams glanced up and shrugged. “Horrible. Partially numb today,” she added, throwing an extra moan of pain in there for emphasis.
Kris shook her head as she checked the ledger for Edmund’s room. “You have quite a crowd out front, you know,” she said over her shoulder as she flipped through the pages until she found the right date.
“You know how this town is. It’ll be a damn circus if he stays too long.”
Kris tapped her finger on the page with his information, closed the ledger, and tucked it away again. “Well, bad news for you, Grams, he’s going to be stuck her for a long while. His car’s dead.”
“Damn. Well, about time something exciting happened around here.”
“You watch too many soaps. Nothing’s going to happen, except Molly’s going to scare him off,” Kris breathed and headed down the hall and around the corner to inform Edmund about the condition of his car.
She reached room number four and raised her hand to knock, but she spotted the oil covering her hand and paused. She’d been sweating hard the last hour and probably stank, her hair was dirty, and she probably had a few grease streaks on her face, too. Her jumpsuit hadn’t been washed in a week. Her other hand bore several bandages from scrapes she’d managed to get digging around under the hood of his car. She nibbled her tongue between her teeth but decided this rich boy came to her town. She wasn’t about to go home, shower, and put on fresh clothes just for him. Raising her fist again, she knocked on his door and waited.
Her eyes were downcast, looking over the information again, when the door opened. “Hey, I hope I’m not—shit, sorry!” She held the papers up to her face when she caught a glimpse of damp, naked skin. “I—uh, I just came by to tell you about your car.”
“It’s alright,” he replied with a throaty laugh. “I have jeans.”
She lowered the papers enough to peek with one eye, and her face grew hot. “Yeah, but still. I don’t want to intrude.” But damn, do I want to look. For a rich boy, you sure have one hell of a nice body. Drops of water dripped down his well-defined pecs to his abs and lingered along the crevices of a v-shape she’d never seen on a male body. The heat from outside was nothing compared to what flared within her, and she cleared her throat. “I… uh, I just came by to tell you about your car, but I can wait.”
“No, please come on in. I’ll dry myself the rest of the way and throw a shirt one,” he said and leaving the door open to his room, disappeared into the bathroom.
Kris breathed deeply to steady her shaking hands, and nibbling on her tongue again, stepped slowly into his room. Shopping bags littered the bed, and his dirty clothes were draped over the chair at the desk. The bathroom door closed, and she frowned, wishing she could’ve seen his ass, too.
Get ahold of yourself! He’s a damn customer, and he’ll never be interested in someone like you, anyway. Kris ran a hand down her ponytail, feeling the dirt and grime stuck in the strands, and gave her head a little shake, wondering why she suddenly cared so much about what someone else might think of her looks.
***
Edmund had been with Jenny so long, he forgot what it was like to have someone check him out as Kristen had with those glittering hazel eyes. She’d even licked her lips when she peeked out from around the papers she
held in front of her face, and he grinned. An amused voice in his mind said to accidentally let the towel drop to see how she’d react, but he was a gentleman at heart and worried she already thought him a creeper for opening the door half naked.
While she had a gander at him, he hadn’t been completely innocent either and let his gaze roam over her bare shoulders and arms. Each muscle was well-toned and several scars marked the tanned skin. The oil smell followed her but was accompanied by sweet honeysuckle that teased his senses. His mom would scream if someone greeted her so covered in muck and grime, but Edmund found it strangely attractive. This woman was passionate about her job. It showed in the grease stains and bandages on her fingers, not caring what she might look like as long as she got her job done.
“Sorry about that,” he said as he stepped out of the bathroom in jeans and a black t-shirt.
Kristen smiled, but disappointment flashed across her face. “No, it’s fine. I guess I should’ve warned you I was stopping by so soon.”
Edmund sat on the edge of the bed and offered the desk chair to her, but she declined. He rested his hands on his knees and admired the slope of her cheeks and smiled when she gnawed on her tongue as she flipped through the papers in her hand. A long strand of hair fell over her face, and she blew it away with a puff of air from pink lips that looked perfect for kissing. His chest tightening, he tried to look at anything else, but every subtle shift of her body drew him right back in.
Tommy was right. I haven’t had a good lay in way too long.
“So your car,” Kristen finally said and stepped closer. “I hate to tell you, but the engine’s shot.”
“That bad?” he asked as she handed him the papers.
“Yeah, but the good news is I did find one that’ll work for your car.”
“And from your cringe, I’m guessing there’s bad news,” he said. His eyes trailed lower down the page to the estimated cost. “Eh, money’s not a problem, like I said.”
She scratched her nose, and her cringe deepened. “It’s actually going to take about a week to get the engine here and then a few days for me to get it all put back together. You’re looking at almost two weeks, stuck in the middle of nowhere. I hope you don’t have anywhere you have to be.”
Edmund held the papers as he nodded. There was no chance he was getting to Miami now, but things could be worse. His parents had no idea where he was, and if he had a legit reason to be trapped far away from them, he’d take it, no matter where it was. The laughter bubbled up inside him until he couldn’t hold it in any longer. He cackled like a madman as tears of mirth filled his eyes.
“Not the reaction I usually get from my customers,” Kristen said slowly. “You alright?”
He nodded and caught his breath, fighting against the laughter. “Sorry, it’s a long story.”
“What’s the short version?”
“I hopped in my car last night and just drove,” he said as he sobered. “No idea where I was headed. I just needed to get away, so the longer it takes to fix my car, the better.” He set the papers aside and rubbed the back of his neck. “I was supposed to get married yesterday.”
“And you ran off?” she asked curiously.
He sighed and his hands fell into his lap. “Nope, my bride-to-be stood me up.”
Kristen reached out a hand, but it dropped half way to him and she coughed, taking a large step backwards. “That’s terrible, sorry.”
“I’m not too upset about it, but like I said, it’s a long story. Now, I get to be free and do what I want for a change,” he announced as his arms encompassed the room. “And if that means being stranded in the middle of nowhere, then that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to be free for a while and I’m going to live.”
“I’ll help you live,” she said, her tone lower and her pupils dilating as they observed his body again. She shook her head and stumbled back a step, ready to run for the door after saying something so cheesy.
Edmund reached out and caught her arm gently before she could make it to freedom. “I think I’d like that.”
Chapter 5
You idiot! What the hell are you thinking! she screamed at herself. The words had slipped out before she could stop them, and running back to hide in her garage was the foremost thought in Kris's mind. He took her arm with his hand, and the zinging thrill that shot through her body froze her.
She raised her face to his infectious grin. Unable to resist, she smiled at him and relaxed. “What I meant was, if you need anyone to show you around town, I’m your girl.”
He grinned even wider, and mentally, she told herself to shut up before she said something she’d really regret. This man had been left at the altar, so either there was some really stupid woman out there willing to give up a man who bordered on drop-dead gorgeous, or there was something really wrong with Edmund Eastwood. No red flags sprang up in her mind, and his hand on her arm warmed her and chased away any lingering doubts. His smile brought out two small dimples under his sharp cheekbones, and the sudden urge to lean forward and kiss them roared through her body.
Molly may have called dibs on the man, but he currently held onto Kris. Why not have a little fun with the new guy in town? For years, she’d been the good granddaughter, doing what Grams said and following her rule of not messing around before marriage. Kris was pushing twenty-seven, and if she was ever going to have a one-night stand, doing it with a man who would leave town quickly seemed like a smart move. No one would be able to ask him what had happened because he wouldn’t be around to ask. His car would get fixed and he’d move on, never to return.
His hand slipped away, and she mourned the loss of his touch. He stepped back, and his hands twitched at his sides.
“Why don’t I give you my number?” she said, voice rough. “That way, you have at least one person you can talk to in this crazy town.”
“Doesn’t seem too bad,” he said, but when she raised her brows, his smile fell.
“There’s a crowd outside the inn, just a heads up,” she warned.
He handed her his cell, and she entered her number. When he took it back, he glanced over the entry. “Kris?”
When he raised his head again, she noticed the faint scar on his right cheek. “Yeah, it’s what everyone calls me—in case someone mentioned me. I didn’t want you to be confused. So, I’ll just go and if you need anything, give me a call.”
He tucked his cell in his pocket. “Thanks, Kris, really.”
“I’m just glad you broke down outside my town,” she blurted and immediately clamped her lips shut. “I’m going.” She hurried to the door and opened it as he followed close behind. Every instinct told her to turn around and kiss him, run her fingers over that faint scar, but she stayed strong and strolled out the door before she could embarrass herself more.
She reached the front of the inn and leaned against a wall, glaring at the ceiling above her. “Stupid, stupid, stupid,” she muttered. “Now he’ll never call you.”
“What’s that, dear?” Grams murmured from the front desk.
Kris jumped. “Nothing at all. Isn’t your shift over yet?”
“Just waiting on Billy,” she said.
“Good. I’m making that pulled pork tonight,” she said. “I’m assuming you’ll be over for dinner?”
Grams barked a laugh. “Miss my granddaughter’s cooking? Like hell.”
Kris grinned. “Good. Oh, and don’t give the new guy too much trouble. He’s had a rough weekend.”
“Uh-huh, and how has Mister Fancy-pants had a rough weekend?”
“Grams, be nice,” she said sternly. “I’ll see you at the house later.”
She walked out before Grams could grill her about Edmund and his almost wedding. She ignored the curious onlookers outside the inn and walked in a daze back to the garage. The last date she’d been on had been a year ago. Nervously, she fidgeted with her tools on the worktable before she scolded herself and went back to work on the other cars in her garage—anything
to keep her mind off her jealousy at those drops of water dripping down his slicked chest. Kris licked her lips and imagined her hands on those tensed muscles as she licked the water off his skin—
“Are you ever not here?” a man said right behind her. Kris jumped, smacking her head on the hood of the old truck. “Oh, ouch, that one hurt.”
She whipped around, glaring at Charlie as she tossed her dirty rag at his face. “One of these days, you’re going to give me a damn concussion, you asshat.”
“Asshat, nice.” He sniggered.
“Why are you here?”
Charlie gathered his black hair into a ponytail and buttoned up his jumpsuit. “The parts for that bike are coming in tomorrow morning. I wanted to make sure it’s prepped and ready to go.”
“That’s Frank’s project,” she frowned. “Why are you working on his shit?”
“He’s coming off a weekend. You really think he wasn’t drunk the whole time?”
Kris grunted in agreement and rubbed the sore spot on her head. “Should I just fire him?”
Charlie dragged a short stool over to the bike on the other end of the garage and set to work. “Nah, you know you’d never stop hating yourself for it.”
“Why am I so nice to drunks?” she grumbled.
“You’re nice to me, and I’m not a drunk,” Charlie argued. “And I hear the new guy in town isn’t a drunk either. Already made your way into his room though, look at you go.” He winked as her mouth dropped open.
“Is that what they’re saying already?” she hissed. “All I did was tell him what was wrong with his car!”
“You should’ve had him come here,” he said through his laughter. “Do you not want to fool around with him?”