Chapter 4
Chapter Four
F ox
The wrench slips from my hand, clattering onto the concrete floor, and I bite back a curse. It’s not the first time I’ve lost focus today, but this time, I know exactly what—or rather, who —is responsible. Amelia Grant.
Her name alone is enough to irritate me. She showed up at my garage like a whirlwind, all bright eyes and endless questions, upending the quiet routine I’ve spent years building. Now she’s stomping around my loft above the shop, probably rearranging my life one misplaced coffee mug at a time.
When she called me grumpy this morning, I didn’t deny it. Hell, I might even take pride in it. But watching her prance around in my flannel, her bare legs peeking out with every step, has me second-guessing every choice that led me to this moment.
“Fox, where’s your coffee?” Her voice floats down the stairs, too cheerful for this early in the morning.
“Where it’s always been, Princess,” I yell back, rolling my eyes.
I hear her rummaging through the cabinets, humming some annoyingly catchy tune. She’s been here less than 24 hours, and she’s already turned my loft into her personal playground. My carefully organized tools? Scattered. My couch? Currently buried under her notebooks and other work shit. And now my kitchen? God help me.
“You only have instant?” she calls out, disbelief dripping from her tone.
“It’s coffee,” I grumble, wiping grease off my hands. “Drink it or don’t.”
She appears at the top of the stairs, her messy bun askew and my flannel practically swallowing her. It’s buttoned wrong, hanging crookedly off one shoulder, and somehow, that makes it worse. Or better. I can’t decide.
“Instant coffee isn’t real coffee,” she declares, descending the stairs like she owns the place. “It’s caffeinated sadness.”
I smirk, leaning back against the workbench. “You want a cappuccino? You’re in the wrong damn town.”
Her lips quirk, but she doesn’t bite back. Instead, she crosses the room, her bare feet silent on the cold concrete. My flannel shifts as she moves, revealing a sliver of thigh that makes my throat tighten. I hate that I notice. No, scratch that—I hate how much I like noticing.
Jet darts around the corner then, full of morning energy and hot on the tail of Buttercup. The cat jumps up on the workbench, Jet following fast and letting out a series of playful barks before Buttercup, nails out, claws into my thigh and climbs me like a damn tree.
“What the ever-loving fuck?” I grit. “Jet! Outside!” The dog stops dead in his tracks, eyes flashing from mine to Buttercup before he gives up the game and saunters right out the doggy door like his work here is done.
“So,” she says, collecting Buttercup from her safe place on my shoulder, “are you always this cheerful, or is it just for me?”
I arch a brow, crossing my arms. “Cheerful? You think this is me being nice?”
She grins, that mischievous sparkle in her eyes both infuriating and… something else I don’t want to name. “Well, you did give me a place to stay and lent me this very fashionable flannel.”
I snort. “Don’t get used to it.”
Her smile widens, and for a split second, I forget how much she irritates me. There’s something about her—something bright and relentless—that I can’t ignore. It’s like she’s a burst of sunlight in a room I’d gotten used to keeping dark. And it’s pissing me off.
“You know,” she says, tilting her head, “you’re not as scary as you pretend to be.”
I push off the workbench, stepping closer until her teasing grin falters. “You think so?”
She swallows hard, her eyes flicking up to meet mine. “Yeah,” she says softly, though her bravado is slipping. “I think you’re a big teddy bear under all that grump.”
I lean in, my voice low. “Keep poking, Princess. See what happens.”
Her breath hitches, and for a moment, the banter dissolves, replaced by something heavier. Something that hums in the air between us, pulling taut like a wire ready to snap.
She clears her throat, breaking the spell. “I should… probably go make that coffee.”
I let her retreat, watching as she climbs the stairs. She moves quickly, but I catch her glance back once, her cheeks flushed.
I rake a hand through my hair, exhaling sharply. What the hell is wrong with me? She’s chaos wrapped in sunshine, the exact opposite of everything I want—or thought I wanted. And yet, when she disappears into the loft, I find myself wishing she’d stayed.
By the time I head upstairs, the sun’s set, and the loft is dimly lit by the warm glow of the overhead light. She’s curled up on the couch, her laptop balanced precariously on her knees. The flannel has slipped again, exposing one bare shoulder, and her hair’s come loose from its bun, falling in soft waves around her face.
I stop in my tracks, the sight of her knocking the air out of my lungs. She looks… comfortable. Like she belongs here. And that thought terrifies me.
“You’re staring,” she says without looking up, her voice tinged with amusement.
“Maybe I’m just wondering how much longer you’re planning to stay.”
She laughs, a sound that’s entirely too pleasant for my liking. “So much for being a gentleman. I guess I’m stuck here until you kick me out.”
I move to the kitchen, grabbing a beer from the fridge. “Don’t tempt me.”
She closes her laptop, stretching like a cat, and I force myself to look away before my imagination gets the better of me.
“You’re not as mean as you want me to think you are,” she says, padding over to the kitchen. “If you were, you wouldn’t have let me stay.”
“Don’t read too much into it,” I mutter, taking a swig of beer. “I’m just waiting for my schedule to lighten up a bit so I can have my peace back.”
Her smile is sly, like she knows I’m lying. And maybe I am.
“Sure,” she says, grabbing an apple from the counter. “Keep telling yourself that.”
I watch as she takes a bite, her lips curling around the fruit. It’s an innocent enough action, but my mind takes it somewhere else entirely, and I curse under my breath.
“Problem?” she asks, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
“Yeah,” I say, my voice rough. “You.”
She blinks, her teasing demeanor faltering for a second. Then she recovers, stepping closer. “Me? What did I do?”
I lean down, bringing us eye to eye. “You exist.”
Her breath catches, and for a heartbeat, neither of us moves. The tension is thick, crackling like a live wire. I could kiss her right now, and I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t stop me. Hell, I’m not sure I could stop myself.
But I do. Barely.
“Goodnight, Amelia,” I say, stepping back and draining the rest of my beer and heading up to the loft. “Try to keep your pussy off me tonight, huh?”
“You love it!” she calls, after me. “Sweet dreams, mountain man!”
Yeah, like that’s going to happen.