Chapter 3
Summer
My dad had officially hired someone hot. And it took me an entire week to notice. Please cue the giant facepalm.
I had paid little to no attention to the new detailer when I first saw we hired someone. On top of that, we worked on opposite sides of the building, and he was outside most of the time. Not to mention, I spent a lot of my day driving between work and college for my few classes.
It wasn’t until his first Friday with us that my dad instructed me to inform him of our monthly staff event that was coming up. He also wanted me to play nice because apparently, the guy hadn’t spoken to anyone all week, and he appeared to be young enough for us to be friends.
What my dad didn’t tell me was that this guy wasn’t a boy still figuring out how to be a man. He wasn’t a recent college grad who thought he was the shit.
No. He was pure, alpha male, completely confident in himself, and it showed in the way he puffed out his chest as he walked around, his head always held high, body poised, ready for attack. I admired him from afar as I planned what to say to him so I wouldn’t end up embarrassing myself.
I also didn’t want to give off the wrong signal. I was in a relationship, and I was happy. At least, I wanted everyone to think I was. If everyone did, there were fewer questions, less worry, and it let me figure out how I wanted to live my life without my mom and dad hovering over me. My boyfriend wasn’t a bad guy. For the most part, he treated me right. He bought me things and showered me in compliments most of the time.
“Are you going to watch him through the door all day?” my uncle chuckled from behind me. I rolled my eyes.
I had more than my parents hovering over all my life choices. I had my crazy uncle and aunt, too.
“Just thinking. I don’t want to scare the guy off, you know.”
Uncle Ryan stood beside me, glancing at the stack of papers in his hands before giving me his attention. “Trust me, Summer. A man like that doesn’t scare easily.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means he’s a Navy SEAL and has experienced a lot of extreme circumstances. Talking to a nineteen-year-old girl surely isn’t going to top any of that.” I nodded, storing that useful piece of advice.
“Maybe I’m the nervous one,” I admitted, looking away from the detailer to my uncle. He just smiled at me.
“What’s making you nervous, sweet pea? It’s just like talking to any of the guys in the back. He works for us. He can’t say anything to upset you. You’re the one in charge of the situation,” he reminded me. “Stay in control of it, and nothing can go wrong.” I sighed and teetered back and forth on the balls of my feet.
Here went nothing.
Pushing through the big door, I walked up to the detailer, trying my damnest not to admire his flexing muscles and the way his tattoos danced with the simple movements he made.
God, did he have to be so sexy?
He was watching me as I approached him, his eyes hidden behind big aviators that covered most of his face. His lips twitch as he nodded.
What was he staring at?
I glanced down at my clothes. I wasn’t wearing anything different than what I’d been wearing all week – a pair of leggings and a t-shirt. I had more skin covered than most of the girls in my classes, but my parents had raised me to have class. Having everything out in the open wasn’t the way to get a man’s attention – or at least, not the right man’s attention. Not to mention, Tom wouldn’t let me out of the house in anything revealing.
“Hey,” I found the courage to say, but he didn’t move. My eyes drifted down his toned arm to the rag he was holding that was dripping with soapy water. The drops hit the scorching hot pavement beneath our feet. “Hey, you’re the new detailer, right?” I brushed a loose lock of my blonde hair away from my face, wishing I had fixed my messy ponytail before coming out to speak to him.
He shook his head and turned back to wash the car. He mumbled some halfhearted response, no longer paying me any attention. My heart skipped a beat at being dismissed. I had stupidly thought he was checking me out.
But he was a man, and he wouldn’t want a silly little girl like me.
Nevertheless, like my father instructed, I kept up a light conversation, pretending to inspect his work when really, I was looking for anything to distract me from his beautiful body.
Men weren’t supposed to be this beautiful, but Lord have mercy on my soul, this man was gorgeous. He was toned and tanned with inked skin, dark hair, full lips, not to mention, he was quiet and brooding. Why didn’t someone just put him on the cover of an erotica romance novel and call it a day?
And then, just when I had fully convinced myself that he wasn’t interested in me, those full lips curved into a cocky grin. “Thanks. I didn’t catch your name?” He lifted those shades off their perch on his nose.
His eyes.
Holy God, his eyes.
They were swirling with darkness and mischief, curiosity shining in their depths as they skimmed over my body like I was his next meal.
He was a ‘yes ma’am’ kind of man, and paired with those green eyes? He could even make my mother melt, and she didn’t have eyes for anyone but my dad.
I swallowed thickly, mentioning my boyfriend before escaping back into the shop away from him and the butterflies wreaking havoc in my stomach. I was in a relationship. I shouldn’t be feeling anything towards him other than friendship, but the way his eyes took me in almost convinced me that I had been standing there naked in front of him.
A man with a power like that was dangerous, and I had to stay away.
---
As always, the weekend flew by in the blink of an eye. Between sleeping and getting the usual errands done and dinner at my parents’ house, I didn’t have time for much else – especially not time to think about Colton.
My car had to be dropped off for an oil change and some other basic maintenance, so at lunchtime, Tom picked me up from the dealership and gave me a ride back to work with the intention of spending lunch with me.
It was sweet and rather unlike him.
When we pulled into the parking lot a few minutes before the clock would ring, my stomach lurched at the sight of Colton sitting on the back of his tailgate, his phone in one hand, a sandwich in the other.
Would Tom notice the attraction?
“Do you wanna come in and say hi to Dad?” I asked, unclipping my seatbelt once he had his car in park. He shrugged, glancing at the entrance of the shop.
“I saw him last night, babe. I don’t need to see him again, to be honest.”
My heart dropped. He didn’t try to get along with my parents. He had in the beginning when we first started dating. Back then, he would spend hours with my siblings and parents, playing board games and going out in the boat on the lake. Then, when I moved in with him, all that changed, and his interest in my family disappeared along with his affection towards me.
“You sure? I still have a few minutes,” I coaxed. “We could sit in my office?” He didn’t look at me as he shook his head.
“I have class in a bit, and then I have to come back and get you, so no, Summer, I don’t have time to come in and socialize with your dad and make out with you in your office.” He put the car in reverse and nodded towards the door, but I was frozen in shock.
He hadn’t been mad when I asked him to help me out with a ride last week when I made the appointment, but now, all of a sudden, it was a problem?
And I hadn’t said anything about going into my office to make out. We weren’t kids anymore. I knew that.
“If it’s such a hassle for you, I’ll just uber home then,” I responded, trying to keep the bitterness out of my voice. “Or I’ll ask around and see if anyone lives that way and get a ride.”
He sighed loudly and stabbed the unlock button on his door.
“Whatever, Summer. I don’t want to be late for class. I’ll see you later,” he said, completely brushing me off. “Don’t forget we have dinner plans with my friends at the bar on campus.”
I was speechless. His behavior was strange. We hadn’t fought over anything in a week. Things had been looking up, but I guess, like usual, I had misread the entire situation.
I opened my door and stepped out, slamming the door of his fancy car, enjoying the look of horror on his face as he stared at me before peeling out of the lot, his tires squealing as he left.
What a douche.
“Fighting with your boyfriend?” Colton piped up. He even had the audacity to smirk at me.
“It’s none of your business.” With that, I stormed into the building and took a seat behind my desk. I let my head fall onto the cool surface, allowing time for my racing heart to slow down.
I did not want to go out with his friends tonight. I wouldn’t – not if he thought it was okay to treat me like that. I wasn’t a pushover, and he should have known that by now. My daddy didn’t raise me to take crap from a man. He raised me to make a man’s life miserable.
A knock on my door startled me out of my plan to make Tom apologize for his behavior. I looked over my computer screen and saw Colton standing there with a sheepish grin.
I arched a simple eyebrow at him, a bit peeved to see him standing there after his snarky comment in the parking lot. “I didn’t mean to be an ass, okay? I was just reading your body language.” I nodded, accepting his apology, unable to resist the smile pulling at my lips.
“Thanks. Sorry; it’s been a long morning,” I sighed. “I had to drop my car off at the dealership, and he was my ride home, but now, that doesn’t seem to be happening,” I vented. Colton nodded, his dark hair falling into his bright eyes.
“How about I give you a ride home? I promise I’m a good driver – better than him.”
I snorted. “And how would I know that? Am I supposed to just believe you?” He was grinning now, and it was infectious.
It wasn’t fair. He was so perfect.
“I guess you’ll just have to find out now, won’t you?” The bell rang signaling the end of lunch, and I stood.
“I’ll think about it,” I told him. “I don’t really feel like dying today, you know.” He snorted and followed me down the hall to the clock where I punched in my code.
“Who said anything about anyone dying?” He punched his code in next. His body was so close to mine that I could smell a hint of his spicy cologne mixing with his musky scent from working and the sunscreen he used.
Did he really have to be my kind of guy? My kind of man? Did he really have to smell so good?
Everything about him was so alluring.
He looked down at me, his body caging me against the wall. I was staring into his emerald eyes, and the urge to kiss him throbbed through me.
I really wanted him to kiss me even more than I wanted to kiss him.
Shaking the thought from my head, I took a step away from him. Our shoulders brushed, and I swear, I felt sparks burst out of my skin at the very brief touch.
I was instantly reminded that we were at work when I heard someone’s footsteps coming our way from the other end of the hall. The staff wasn’t allowed to fraternize in the building, but most importantly, I wasn’t allowed to flirt with the staff.
My dad would fire me on the spot, and everything I’d worked so hard for would go right down the drain.
I knew better than to allow this to happen.
But just because I knew better didn’t mean I could fight the smile that tilted my lips.
I turned to face him. “Fine,” I said, giving in to the idea of him giving me a ride home, “but if I do die, I will haunt you.” His eyes lit up with mischief, and at that moment, I knew I was in serious trouble.
This man had the power to destroy me.