Chapter 8 #2
Turning, he shut the Mustang’s hood and stalked across the garage and nearly pulled the door to his office off its hinges in his haste to escape.
Slamming the door behind him, Devin collapsed in his desk chair and groaned.
What the hell was he doing? Arguing with his friends and employees…
coming in late to work…and for what? A relationship that was going to be over practically before it even began.
He pulled off the cap he was wearing and tossed it across the room. Glancing at the clock he saw it was after four. The day was basically over and maybe if he played his cards right, he could just stay in here and hide out until everyone left.
The right thing–the fair thing–to do was to go back out to the garage and help out where he could so that everyone could get out on time and get ready for the big dance tonight.
To kill time, he turned on his computer and took care of paying bills and some invoicing he’d been putting off. He made notes on the inventory and what he was going to need to place orders on soon. Then, out of sheer desperation, he turned to Solitaire to pass the time.
Devin had no idea how long he’d been playing when he heard a soft knock at the door. When he looked up, MacKenzie was peeking her head into the room. “You busy?” she asked.
He stood and stretched. “No. Just doing some paperwork.”
“Everyone’s gone,” she said, sounding a little hesitant. “They’ve been gone for a while and I didn’t want to disturb you, but…”
“It’s okay,” he interrupted. “I lost track of time. Sorry. I’m sure you’re ready to get out of here too.” It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her that her car was done, but that could open the door for her to leave sooner.
So he kept it to himself.
And reminded himself that he was better than this. And yet…he didn’t speak up.
But her thoughts were on the same thing. “How’s my car coming along? Almost done?”
“Almost,” he lied. “Monday I’ll finish the work on the radiator and then take it for a test drive to make sure everything’s running smoothly and the temperature stays in the normal range.”
She nodded. “Oh. Okay.”
Devin noticed her looking over her shoulder at the car–almost longingly. And that look was enough to almost make him admit he lied about it being finished.
Almost.
Rather than focus on that, he took MacKenzie by the hand and led her over to the car and then gently lifted her and placed her on the hood. “You know, the first time I saw you, you were leaning over the hood and I thought…damn. I almost thought you were a mirage.”
His words took that serious look off of her face and had her grinning. “Seriously?”
He shook his head. “Now I’ll admit the car grabbed my attention too…”
“Naturally.”
“Naturally,” he agreed, “but once I saw you, I couldn’t see anything else.”
She sighed and reached up and put her hand on his chest. “Devin…”
He took her hand in his and kissed her palm. “Would it be wrong if I admitted to having a fantasy or two about you and this car?”
A quick laugh was her immediate response. “I hope I’m the main star of them!” she teased.
“Definitely.” This was something he was coming to love about her–their bantering. The teasing. The way she made everything seem lighter. “Let’s just say it involves you in the same position I found you in.”
MacKenzie’s eyes went wide as his words registered. She looked around the garage before returning her gaze to him. “Hmm…it would seem as if we are alone here.”
Devin swallowed hard and nodded. Was she seriously saying what he thought she was saying?
“And no one can see into the garage…”
Another nod.
Taking her hand back, MacKenzie let it travel over his chest before making its way up to curve around his shoulder and bicep. “And the doors are all locked up…”
She was killing him. Afraid to say anything to break the spell or ruin the moment, Devin simply let her take the lead.
“If memory serves,” she began in a sultry tone, “the hood was down like this.” Sliding off the hood, she turned around and placed her hands on the car. “And I was bent over it.” Looking over her shoulder, she got into the position. “Do I have that right?”
In her current position, her denim-clad bottom was pressed snugly against the raging hard-on he’d had all afternoon.
“Devin?”
He nodded.
She grinned. “I don’t know…somehow I think…maybe this won’t work.”
Wait… what ? He was just about to say it was okay–that they didn’t have to do this. That it was just a silly fantasy - albeit a hot and sexy one–when MacKenzie straightened and whipped her t-shirt up and over her head.
Devin’s heart kicked hard in his chest.
“What do you think?” she said, her voice going a little husky. “Will this work?”
Although he had a feeling he was coming off as being a complete moron, all he could do was nod again.
Her grin broadened. “Well…I suppose it could. But wouldn’t it be better if I did this?” And then she shimmied out of her jeans, kicking her shoes aside. Standing in front of him in nothing but two scraps of white lace, she winked and turned to bend back over the hood of the car.
Devin looked down at his hands. They were dirty from the engine work he’d done earlier. And yet the thought of placing his hands on her silky skin–the pristine white lace–took his arousal up another notch.
MacKenzie looked over her shoulder and saw him looking at his hands. “It’s okay,” she whispered. “I kind of like them like that.”
It was like waving the red flag in front of the bull.
“Be sure,” he said lowly, almost in a growl.
Her response was to wink before adding, “Bring it.”
Whipping his own shirt over his head, Devin reached down and spun MacKenzie around to face him before capturing her lips in a savage kiss.
For hours he’d been waiting to taste her again and it had felt like days.
She met him kiss for kiss and it turned into a damn-near frenzy.
He lifted her and placed her back on top of the hood before doing his best to lay her down on it.
His hands guided her back as he continued to kiss her. When her legs wrapped around him, he wondered if he was so far gone that he was about to embarrass himself. He broke their kiss and quickly straightened. With his eyes locked on hers, he warned her, “I’m already close.”
“Me too,” she panted. “Hurry.”
In his fantasy, they took it slow, but there was no way that was going to happen right now. And it didn’t seem like either of them really cared. So, rather than continuing to obsess about it, Devin did what he’d been waiting all afternoon for.
He loved her.
They were fashionably late to the dance.
After their little escapade on her car, MacKenzie was more than happy to go back to Devin’s house and stay in.
But that little plan got foiled when they got home and found a garment bag hanging on the front door.
There was a note attached from Ashlynn explaining there were four dresses inside for her to choose from, along with two pairs of shoes.
She ended it with, “And the two of you better show your faces because we want details!”
MacKenzie’s face flamed with embarrassment, and when Devin asked her what was wrong, she simply shook her head and murmured, “Nothing.”
They’d rushed to get ready–opting to shower separately, otherwise they weren’t going anywhere–and when she stepped out into the living room and saw him in a suit, she seriously almost swooned.
“Seriously, how are you still single?” she said with a soft laugh. When she was close enough to touch him, she ran her hand over his lapel and just sighed. “The women in this town should be ashamed of themselves.”
All he did was chuckle before kissing her cheek. “You look beautiful.”
“Thank you.” Smiling up at him, she really wished they weren’t going out with like…a hundred people. Looking the way he did, MacKenzie wished they were going out on a romantic date–just the two of them.
“You ready?” he asked.
And now, here they were. Standing in the entrance to the Sweetbriar High School gymnasium, she looked around in wonder. “Damn. The decorating committee is impressive!”
Beside her, Devin nodded. “Casino Night. Last reunion had a roaring twenties theme. It was cool, but took way too much effort to dress for. I’m glad this one is a little easier on the imagination.”
“Wow! So there’s a different theme every time?”
Another nod. “Oh, yeah. Before the roaring twenties reunion was the wild west. Now that was fun!”
“If you do these every five years, you would have been too young for it,” she reasoned.
“Not really. Once you graduate, you can come to the reunion. I was twenty and this was where everyone was that night, so…”
“Got it.” She glanced around again. “I never really thought about a reunion or themes or anything like that. My ten-year reunion is in August, but I’m not going. And the invitation was just for a regular party at one of the local hotels. Nothing fancy.”
“To be fair, I think most reunions are like that. We just tend to be a little over the top here. Probably because we only do this every five years and we’re a small group.”
“Um…Devin, look around. There are a lot of people here.”
He shrugged. “Still, my graduating class only had 35 people. And we were one of the larger classes.”
Her eyes went wide. “Seriously? Mine had 160. And I’m guessing most of them are going to show up for the reunion.”
“Why don’t you want to go?”
That made her laugh. “You’re joking, right?
” Shaking her head, she explained, “How about because I just fled the state to get away from my crappy life? Or…or maybe because I’m going to be living on the other side of the country by then?
And who wants to go to a lame party with a bunch of people who I really wasn’t close to at the local Holiday Inn? I mean…take your pick.”
“Fair enough,” he murmured before leading her further into the gym. The music was a little too loud to hold a normal conversation, but there was a huge buffet and tons of places to sit. “Where should we…?”