Chapter 9 #2
The tires screeched as I slammed the gas and pulled out of the shop’s parking lot, leaving Dusty rolling around in his own puke.
For the first mile, I punched the steering wheel and screamed my rage into the night.
The gall of that man, thinking he could take what he wanted simply because he was a man, made me want to lash out at the world.
In my experience, ninety-nine percent of men were good and kind.
Maybe not gentlemen, maybe not polished, but good people.
It was the one percent like Dusty that gave them all a bad name. He was the polar opposite of Jackson.
When I pulled into the parking lot of my shop, my anger had subsided a bit, replaced by deep loathing and irritation. It was in the haze of those storming emotions that I got out of my car and stormed toward the shop. It wasn’t until I was almost to the door that I realized Jackson wasn’t there.
“Jackson?” I called. No response.
I unlocked the door and stepped inside, thinking he might have somehow slipped in using some sort of dragon magic, but the whole place was dark and silent.
“Jackson?” In the confined space, my words echoed off the walls and machinery. He wasn’t here.
A tremor of unease slid, serpentine-like, through my mind. A dozen thoughts flipped through my head of how things could have gone wrong, but then I slapped my palm to my forehead and laughed. He had to get the car.
“Damn, girl. Gotta calm down.”
I wasn’t entirely sure how fast Jackson could get to the cabin in his dragon form, since I was sure he’d held back with me, but the drive here would be close to an hour—maybe a bit more since he’d probably want to stay well below the speed limit so as not to attract attention.
With nothing to do but wait, I went about cleaning and organizing the shop.
An hour later, while I was lubricating our brake lathe, a creaking, metallic noise came from the largest of the garage doors. I dropped my tools on the counter and headed for the shop entrance. Unlocking the door, I pushed it open and stepped outside.
Relief spread through my chest, and a grin burst across my face.
Jackson was leaning against the garage door, the Lamborghini parked beside him.
When he looked at me with that confident calm on his face and sexy smirk, something else spread through me.
Heat, unctuous and delicious, blossomed low in my belly.
God, he was so cute. I had to force myself not to rub my legs together, hungry for the friction the movement would cause. I quickly shoved those thoughts aside.
“Looks like you had yourself little joyride,” I said, smiling back at him.
“She handles like a dream.” He held up the key fob. “Wish I could have really opened her up, but I played it safe.”
“Is that what you always do?” I asked, deciding to get a little flirty.
“What do you mean?”
“Playing it safe. Is that what you always do? Or do you sometimes do things that aren’t as safe?” My tone shocked me. It was flirty and sexy, and I was a little terrified he’d shoot me down immediately.
Oh my god, Shyanne! What are you doing?
I ignored that nagging voice, which I usually didn’t.
For most of my life, I’d focused on my job, on my family, and my neighborhood.
My boyfriends were always second priority, and my own needs a third.
Why shouldn’t I have something for myself?
Besides, it would be fun to do something outside my norm.
Jackson’s smile faltered but didn’t quite vanish, almost as though he was realizing something. My heart skipped and banged as more heat flushed between my legs, my pussy aching at the thought of him filling me up. A slow glint of understanding shone in his eyes.
“Not always,” Jackson said, his gaze skimming over my body. “Sometimes I take chances.” He shrugged and gave me a lopsided smile. “And sometimes those chances work out. They can be really fun too.”
The tension and chemistry between us seemed to crackle like static electricity. I wanted to know how it would feel to have his hands running down my body, his tongue and lips exploring every inch of me. God, I bet he’d taste so good—
“I guess we should get this thing inside, right?”
Blinking in confusion, I shook my head to clear it. “Huh? What?”
“The car?” He pointed at the Lamborghini.
There was a car? We were outside? What day was it? Where was I?
“Oh, right.” I rubbed my face. “Uh, it’s been a long twenty-four hours. Yeah, let’s get her in the shop.”
I had to move one of the cars to make a path to the back of the garage and the paint room. The Lamborghini screamed back to life, then subsided to a low rumble as Jackson pulled it into the room. Once parked, I covered it with a tarp to hide it.
“What are you going to tell your employees? Won’t they wonder what’s up?”
“They will,” I admitted with a sigh. “I’ll tell them I took a job as a favor for someone. That it’s for a potential big client and to keep their mouths shut about it.”
Jackson glanced around, inspecting my garage, then turned back to look at me once more.
“You guys are in trouble, aren’t you?”
I narrowed my eyes. “What? What do you mean?”
“Sorry. I don’t mean to pry, but you said this guy tonight wanted to buy your place. I also saw your eyes last night when I offered the money for you to help me. There’s something about all this. It sort of—”
“Reeks of desperation?”
He chuckled. “I was going to be more diplomatic, but…yeah. Is your shop underwater?”
“Underwater? Not yet. More like barely treading in big waves, and our legs are starting to cramp up. I’ve got a fairly big client lined up—an athlete—and if that works out, we’ll be able to find our footing. I won’t deny, the kind of money you offered for my help made it easy to say yes.”
“You didn’t say yes just for the money.” He took a step closer. “You aren’t that kind of person.”
The closer he got, the harder it was for me to breathe. When he was nearly upon me, I could smell the scent of his cologne and an earthiness that reminded me of pure masculinity. My mouth went dry. I did my best to stay calm and try to remember how flirty and forward I’d been outside.
“You don’t even know me,” I said. “We met last night. You can’t possibly know what kind of person I am.”
“True.” A mischievous light danced in his eyes as he looked at me.
“But I can still tell what kind of person you are. You want to help me, you want to help my family, and you want to do it because you’re a good person.
You’re a woman who strives to do what’s right.
I bet, if I’d offered you nothing but my eternal thanks, you would have still offered to help. ”
“Is this before or after you decide to be honest with me about stealing the car?” I said, teasing him.
He barked a laugh. “Okay, you got me there.” He grew serious once more. “I know you, Shyanne. I don’t know how, but I know who you are deep down,” he said, touching the spot on my chest at the top of my sternum.
Hot, raging desire enveloped me, and it was all I could do not to pounce on this man.
“Maybe,” I said. “I guess we’ll have to keep getting to know each other to make sure you aren’t mistaken. Right?” I added hopefully.
“Definitely,” he said, dropping his gaze down my body again.
Unlike when Dusty had ogled me, this felt more intimate, more respectful. It felt… sexier. Jackson’s gaze roved across my breasts, down my stomach to my legs, then back up slowly until he locked on my face again. When he was done, I felt exhausted in a strangely pleasant way.
Before I could say anything to move this strangely erotic conversation further along, he broke the connection by glancing to the open garage door.
“I guess we should both be getting home,” he said.
I nearly sagged with disappointment. Had I read this wrong? Did he not feel the same intense connection I did?
“Oh, uh, yeah, sure. I am a bit tired, I guess,” I said.
Following him out, I closed the garage door behind us and locked up.
“Do you mind if I stop by tomorrow?” Jackson asked. “To help out?”
“I don’t see why not. I’m picking up the mirror first thing in the morning. We’ll probably get started on the car around eight if you want to get here then?”
“That would be great,” he said. “I don’t know much about fixing up cars, but I don’t want to sit at home waiting. Being idle while you all are working will drive me insane.”
“Yeah, I get that,” I said. “You’re more than welcome to stop by. Maybe we can find something simple for you to do.” I pointed my finger at him. “Just stay out of the way. My guys don’t appreciate newbies fucking with their workday.”
Chuckling, he raised his hands in surrender.
“Understood. I promise I won’t be a bother or slow anyone down.
” He looked up at the sky, then back at me.
“I guess I need to go. Thank you. I can’t tell you how much this means to me.
Without you…” He shook his head. “I don’t know how I would have done this without the cops getting involved.
If I’d have been arrested or lost this car, then my sister would be as good as dead. Thank you, Shyanne.”
I couldn’t recall anyone ever speaking to me with such emotion and sincerity. This really did mean a lot to him. Knowing I was his lone link to rescuing his sister filled me with pride and fear. That kind of responsibility wasn’t something I could take lightly.
“Any time,” I said, unsure what else I could say.
Jackson winked at me, then jumped and shifted.
The air around me stirred, my hair fluttering as the two massive wings stroked the air.
For a moment, I got to see his actual dragon—dark, scaled, and glossy—before his camouflage kicked in, and he grew almost invisible against the night sky.
Had I not been totally sure of the direction he was moving, I would have lost sight of him almost instantly.
Instead, I managed to keep track of him until he was a few hundred yards into the sky.
At that point, he simply vanished from view.
I hoped I never stopped being amazed by magic. I’d only known it was real for a day, and I was already getting a little accustomed to it. Strange how quickly something so amazing became normal.
Walking to my car, I thought back on how the day had gone.
How had it only been a single day? So much had happened that my mind spun with the sheer magnitude of it.
Yet, if we succeeded in fixing the car, and getting Jackson’s sister back, it would all be worth it.
Saving a child was the main thing I was focused on, but as I drove home, it was hard not to think about the money too.
Nearly two-hundred-thousand dollars? We could do so much with that.
Our bills would be taken care of, and we could even give a little gift to the local elementary school or make a donation to a food bank.
I didn’t want to get rich. What was life if you weren’t able to give back when you got a windfall?
Gripping the steering wheel, I pressed the gas. I wanted to shower and get into bed.
Tomorrow, it would be time to get to work.