Chapter 10
TEN
Doing her best to ignore the shadow that was Nate to her right, Shaun fumbled with the wrench in her hand, dropping it with a clang to the concrete floor beneath her back, narrowly missing her head.
Swearing under her breath, she gave him a tight-lipped smile when he reached out to pick up the dropped tool and hand it back to her. “Thanks.”
“You really ought to be more careful,” he said, and she gritted her teeth, waiting for the next sentence she knew was coming. “A woman like you shouldn’t be out here doing this dirty work. You could get hurt.”
Reaching up to fasten the wrench around the bolt again, she grunted out, “I’ve been working on cars for a decade, Nate. I know what I’m doing. But thank you for the concern.”
“If you were my girlfriend, you wouldn’t even have to work, you know,” he replied with what was probably supposed to be a disarmingly charming smile, but the dark look in his eyes bellied the charm, making her shiver in revulsion.
“Ugh, no thanks,” Shaun muttered, turning her eyes away from him. “I don’t date coworkers. And I’m not some damsel in distress. I don’t need a man to take care of me. Besides, I like the work that I do. I’m good at it.”
Nate laughed, and she turned her head to glare at him. “You’re a novelty, Shaun. The only reason you get requested for jobs is so they can ogle you.”
“No, I get requested to be put on jobs that you fucked up the first time,” she snapped, sliding out from under the vehicle and sitting up, bracing her hands on her widespread knees, feet flat on the concrete floor.
When his eyes dropped between her legs, she snapped her fingers in his face and snarled, “Hey, asshole, my eyes are up here, thank you.”
A muscle twitched in his jaw as he clenched it and that dark, foreboding look in his eyes returned, making Shaun’s heart feel like it was falling into her stomach.
“I was going to ask if you needed a date for that wedding you’re going to, but fuck you,” Nate sneered as he stood from where he had been kneeling beside her.
“And I’ve already told you a dozen times; I don’t date coworkers. Or chauvinistic douche bags,” she snapped as she stood, too, dusting her hands off on the thighs of her jeans. “I guess it’s hard for a guy like you to understand that ‘No’ is a full sentence.”
“I’m sure I can change your mind,” Nate coaxed on a low murmur, though his eyes had taken on that darkness in them again, making her shiver.
“Don’t bet on it,” she muttered, turning away from him. “I have work to do, Nate.”
Shaun waited until she heard his heavy footfalls fade away across the garage before letting herself take a deep, restorative breath in, bracing her hands wide on the edge of the work bench that covered a massive tool chest beneath it. Hanging her head between her shoulders, she closed her eyes.
What a fucking day. And it’s only ten in the morning on a Monday.
A throat being cleared to her right startled her, and she opened her eyes, whipping her head around at the sound. She sagged against the bench, groaning audibly.
“What is it about men not taking no for an answer?” she asked out loud, straightening and crossing her arms over her chest, ridiculously self-conscious of the fact that she was wearing stained jeans and an old, long-sleeved Petoskey Northmen shirt that had motor oil, grease, and a little bit of jelly doughnut filling that had dropped onto her chest that morning all over it. Dammit did he look good, though.
His jeans were clean, and the army green, long sleeved Henley shirt he wore was unfairly well fitted to his chest, shoulders, and arms. The sleeves were pushed to his forearms, his hands tucked into the pockets on the front of his jeans, pulling them tight across the front.
She raised her eyes to his, hating the knowing smirk on his too handsome face.
Notching one hip out, she asked acerbically, “Is there something I can assist you with, Kasey? I’m really not in the mood to spar with you this morning.”
Pulling his hands from his pockets, he took several steps forward, only stopping when he was just a couple feet from her. He hitched his chin toward the opposite side of the garage, and when she glanced over, she saw Nate watching them intently. “Was he bothering you?”
Shaun sighed heavily and shook her head, no. “He’s harmless.”
“Does he do that often?” Kasey prodded, his voice low and earnest. His eyes scanned hers and she felt a blush rise up her chest into her cheeks. Dammit.
Licking her lips, she shrugged. “It’s not a big deal, Kasey.”
“It is if you’ve made yourself clear and he’s not respecting that.”
Shaun laughed out loud at that, cocking one eyebrow high. “You do hear yourself, right?”
Kasey had the decency to look chagrined, his lips tilting up in the slightest smile, making his eyes crinkle at the corners, but his next words made her belly do flip-flops.
“You and I both know there’s a difference, darlin’.
You wouldn’t have almost kissed me Saturday night if you didn’t want it.
You don’t want that sleazebag anywhere near you, that’s obvious. ”
“I didn’t almost kiss you,” she whispered, her face flaming as she stared up into those stormy, rain cloud blue eyes.
“Yes, you did,” he whispered back, leaning slightly closer, so that less than a foot separated them. “And you’re thinking about it right now.”
“I am not,” she argued, though it came out breathless.
“You’re a terrible liar, Shaun,” he chuckled, his eyes dropping to her lips. Then, he whispered, “Does your fiancé know that you think about me?”
Growling low in her throat, she shoved her hands into his chest, pushing him away from her with all her might, making him stumble back a step. “God you’re such an asshole! Did you come here just to make fun of me? Get out, Kasey. Leave me alone.”
“What? No,” he murmured quietly, a look of confusion passing over his face briefly before taking that step forward again. She glared up at him, her lips pressed into a thin, hard line. “I can’t leave you alone. I’ve fucking tried.”
Her mouth opened in a silent gasp, her eyes going wide. “Try harder,” she pleaded breathlessly, and his eyes dropped to her mouth before raising once again to hers. “Kasey, please.”
He raised one hand, reaching out to tug on one stray curl that had fallen out of the messy bun she’d piled her curls into that morning, and she held her breath as he tucked it behind her ear, letting his fingers drift along her cheekbone.
Then, his thumb trailed over her chin, before rising to sweep along the ridge of her bottom lip, making her gasp. Her heart thundered in her chest.
“I’m going to taste this mouth eventually, darlin’,” he murmured huskily, and she believed him undoubtedly. “Tell me you don’t want that.”
“I don’t want that,” she whispered, but even she didn’t believe the words.
He chuckled again, sweeping his thumb across her bottom lip one more time before letting his hand drop back to his side. “You’re a liar. But I forgive you. Because I’m going to make you take back every lie you’ve told me, doll.”
And then he was gone, sauntering back out the main garage bay door and out of sight while she struggled to remember how to breathe.