Chapter 2
Blair
Ipulled my truck onto the street where Sam lives and crept toward his house.
As I approached, I saw an SUV parked a little crooked against the curb.
I assumed it was what I was there to fix.
It was an expensive, imported model. More of a grocery-getter and less of a sport or utility vehicle.
Sam gave me the rundown on the person I was there to help.
A newly single mom who shared an ex with Sam’s girlfriend, AJ.
Sounded like someone with a lot going on.
It was making me appreciate my unattached life even more.
I was a surprise high school graduation gift for my young parents. Ten years later, they decided they wanted more kids—three, to be exact. After my mom passed away, I became a second parent for my three younger brothers. Now that they were in their teens, I could finally step away and just live.
I looked past the car and into the driveway where I saw Sam and a petite brunette in a billowing green dress.
My foot wandered over to the brake pedal as I took in the sight before me.
She was gesturing back toward the car, then she put her hands out as if she were holding onto a steering wheel.
Her little purple shoes were shuffling against the driveway as she moved forward quickly, then slowly, then quickly, then slowly again.
I bit the inside of my lip to keep from laughing, and I backed into the driveway next to Sam’s truck.
She was freaking adorable. I jumped out of the driver’s side and moved over to shake Sam’s hand.
“Thanks for coming,” he said.
I shrugged. “Honestly, I didn’t have anything going on today, and I’m happy to help. I’m going to need to see that little demonstration you did again, though,” I said, turning to the brunette.
Sam introduced her as Missy. Her bright blue eyes went wide, and the touch of pink on her cheeks deepened as she hid behind a long sheet of hair.
Her eyes swept over me, and I could only imagine what she was thinking.
Every part of me, from my boots to my jeans to my hands, were stained with grease.
My shirt was peppered with holes from sparks flying while welding, and my eyes were shaded by a dark red hat that needed to be put out to pasture long ago.
Next to this blushing beauty, I was basically a toddler rolling around in the mud.
She moved her arms back into the steering wheel position, and I stifled a laugh. I grabbed her hands and brought them back down. Her wrists felt small and delicate in my hands, and smooth as silk compared to my sandpaper skin. “I’m teasing you, Missy.”
She dropped her head back and groaned in a way that I shouldn’t feel below the belt, but definitely did.
“Can you tell I’m sleep deprived?” Her cheeks were still a shade of red, but she let out a self-deprecating laugh.
“How about you tell me what happened?” I asked.
She took a deep breath. “Well, I was at a stop light, and when I pushed the gas, it barely moved forward. Then once it started going, it sort of, well, you saw my demonstration.”
And I enjoyed it too. “Let’s have a look.”
The three of us headed down the driveway, and I looked over the SUV. Upscale soccer mom was written all over it, but the vibe didn’t seem to fit.
I let out a low whistle. “Interesting choice. I can’t even imagine the maintenance costs on this thing.”
She shrugged. “Oh, it’s expensive, but my ex insisted. He is all about keeping up appearances.”
The muscles in my jaw tightened. I had known her for five minutes, and I already hated the idea of any man having a say in what she did, unless it was me. “If he’s an ex, then why still drive it?” I moved around to the driver’s side to pop the hood.
Sam cleared his throat and gave me a subtle shake of his head. Touchy subject, I assumed. How bad could it be? Missy looked to be about my age, a little young to be jaded by a relationship. The ex must be a real ass.
A ringing sound broke the silence, and Sam cursed under his breath before turning away. “Sorry, I have to take this.”
I twisted my hat backward and got to work inspecting the engine. From Missy’s little performance, it sounded like a spark plug issue. Nothing a routine tune up couldn’t fix, but I wanted to make sure.
I got to work checking fluid levels and looking for leaks or damage. “Any issues with it before today?” I looked over at Missy for an answer, and found her wide-eyed with her stare squarely on the intricate tattoo that circles my bicep.
“Missy?” She blinked a few times before snapping her gaze to mine.
“I’m sorry. I missed that. What did you say?”
I didn’t even try to keep the smile from spreading across my face. Every cell in my body was way too aware of everything she was doing. I had never reacted to anyone like that before. Her car needing a tune up was starting to feel a hell of a lot more like fate than coincidence.
“No need to apologize.” I stood up to my full height and slammed the hood closed. I turned to face her. “You mentioned you were tired. Maybe you need to spend more time in bed.”
“Bed? Yes, bed is good,” she stammered. Her eyes flicked from my chest to my face but didn’t meet my eyes.
I pulled a rag from my back pocket and started wiping the grease off my hands.
“Not enough time in bed can leave you all out of sorts—eyes heavy, knees weak. Your pulse might flutter, like yours is doing right now in the side of your neck.” I reached out and gently swept my thumb across her pulse point.
She swallowed hard. “The worst part is when you start to feel desperate.”
“Desperate?” She took a small step backward to find her back resting against her SUV’s side mirror.
I nodded. “Too much time without a good, long, satisfying trip to bed can leave you desperate for a little relief.”