Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
JAKE
The smell of sizzling meat and the sound of laughter fill Arden’s backyard as I grab another beer from the esky, the cold condensation immediately beading on my fingers in the oppressive heat.
Saturday afternoon BBQs at his place have become a regular thing for the last few months.
Their house has everything you could want: a pool, an outdoor kitchen that’s better equipped than most restaurants, and enough space for all of us to hang out without feeling like we’re stepping on each other’s toes.
I settle into one of the comfortable outdoor chairs and watch the easy chaos of our chosen family in full swing. It’s the kind of afternoon that should help me relax, but my mind keeps drifting back to last night.
To Stella sitting on her desk, her green eyes wide with desire, as I made her come apart with my fingers. The way she felt pressed against me, the little sounds she made when I touched her, the way her body responded to mine like we were made for each other.
Fuck. Even thinking about it is making me hard.
“Jake, stop hogging the good beer,” José calls out from his spot by the pool where he’s trying to impress Ally with his non- existent diving skills.
The man’s about as graceful as a brick, but his enthusiasm more than makes up for his lack of technique.
It’s almost comical because José knows that Ally is taken.
“There’s plenty more in the esky, you lazy bastard,” I call back, gesturing toward the esky that’s practically overflowing with ice and alcohol. Arden never does anything by halves.
Arden himself is manning the BBQ with the precision of a chef, which is typical for him these days.
The guy approaches everything like it’s a business operation—systematic, efficient, and absolutely determined to achieve perfection.
He’s got the steaks arranged in perfect rows, a timer going for each piece of meat, and he’s monitoring temperatures like he’s conducting a symphony.
From what I’ve heard, Arden never used to do these kinds of things.
He’d have someone else do it, but apparently his wife, Ella, has made him change for the better, it would seem.
Ella’s inside with Yasmin, preparing salads, their laughter occasionally drifting out through the open sliding doors.
Meanwhile, Asher and Rhys are locked in what looks like a heated debate about the best way to restore a ‘69 Camaro, their hands moving animatedly as they argue the merits of different restoration approaches.
“Earth to Jake,” Chase waves a hand in front of my face, snapping me out of my thoughts. “You’ve been staring at that beer bottle for five minutes like it holds the secrets of the universe.”
“Just thinking,” I mutter, taking a long swig of beer to cover my embarrassment.
“About a certain redhead who’s been running our workshop all week?” There’s a shit-eating grin on his face as he pauses in his debate with Rhys to focus his attention on me.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Bullshit,” José pipes in, hauling himself up from the pool to sit on the edge with water dripping from his hair. “Mate, the sexual tension between you two is so thick you could cut it with a knife. We’ve all seen the way you look at each other.”
He’s not wrong, and I’m guessing everyone knows it. The attraction between Stella and me has been obvious from day one, building to something inevitable.
“And the way you both find excuses to be in the same area of the workshop,” Chase joins back into the conversation and settles back in his chair with a smug expression.
“Suddenly you need to check on projects that are nowhere near your workstation, and coincidentally, that’s exactly where Stella happens to be. ”
“Don’t forget the coffee incident on Tuesday,” Asher chimes in, his eyes lighting up with mischief. “I thought Jake was going to bend her over that machine right then and there.”
The memory of that morning hits me like a physical blow. Stella pressed against the coffee machine, my body caging her in, the way her breath caught when I leaned close. For a moment, I’d forgotten we weren’t alone, forgotten everything except the way she felt against me.
Heat creeps up my neck, and I know they can all see it. “You lot are reading too much into things.”
“Are we?” Arden contributes, turning from the BBQ with a spatula in hand, his expression more serious than I’ve seen all afternoon, and I wonder what he’s thinking.
If he’s contemplating chewing my arse out, or what.
“Because from what Chase has told me, you’ve been acting like a lovesick teenager all week. ”
The accusation stings because I have been acting differently since Stella started working with us—distracted and hyperaware of her every move. It’s pathetic, really, how completely she’s gotten under my skin.
“I have not?—”
“You brought her lunch on Wednesday,” Chase interrupts, ticking off evidence on his fingers like he’s building a legal case. “You have never brought anyone lunch. In the two years I’ve known you, you’ve never once thought to feed another human being.”
“You stayed late three nights this week,” José adds, “and coincidentally, so did she. Funny how you suddenly discovered a passion for overtime.”
“And yesterday,” Asher says with a knowing smirk that makes my stomach clench, “when I left at six, you were both still there. Together. Alone.”
My stomach tightens with something that might be panic. Do they know something happened? Can they tell just by looking at me that I crossed a line I can’t uncross?
“Look,” Arden says, his tone becoming more serious as he sets down his spatula and gives me his full attention. “I need to say something about this.”
Here we go. I’m about to get the lecture about not shitting where I eat, about keeping my hands off the employees, about professional boundaries and workplace harassment policies.
“Don’t fuck this up, Jake. Stella is the best thing that’s happened to that workshop in years.
In one week, she’s accomplished more than the last three office managers combined.
The clients are happy, the books are getting sorted, and for the first time in months, I’m not getting daily crisis calls from Chase about disasters that need my immediate attention. ”
“That’s absolutely true,” Chase nods emphatically. “She’s fucking brilliant. The woman has turned chaos into order, and she’s done it while making everyone feel valued and respected. It’s like watching magic happen.”
I can hear the genuine admiration in his voice, and it makes something warm spread through my chest. They see what I see in her—the intelligence, the competence, her workmanship and customer service.
She’s a godsend.
“So whatever’s going on between you two,” Arden continues, “don’t let your dick ruin a good thing. We need her, and I’m hoping to convince her to come on full-time once she sees how much we can accomplish together.”
The words hit me like a cold splash of water. The implication is clear.
Stella’s value to the business outweighs whatever personal desires I might have. And he’s right. She is brilliant, and she does deserve better than some mechanic who can’t keep his hands to himself.
“I’m not going to?—”
“Actually,” Ella’s voice cuts through the conversation as she emerges from the house carrying a tray of salads, her timing impeccable as always, “if there is something developing between you two, it doesn’t have to be a complication.”
We all turn to look at her, and I’m struck again by how perfectly she fits into our group despite coming from a completely different world. Ella’s got this way of cutting straight to the heart of things that makes her perfect for Arden—she sees past the surface to the real issues underneath.
“What do you mean?” I ask, her perspective piquing my curiosity and giving me a bit of hope that’s hanging in the balance.
“Workplace romances aren’t inherently problematic,” she says, approaching and setting the tray down on the outdoor table. “As long as both parties are professional, and it doesn’t interfere with work performance. Some of the most successful couples I know met at work.”
“Plus,” Yasmin adds, joining us with a pitcher of margaritas, her expression thoughtful, “from what Chase has told me about Stella, she doesn’t seem like the type to let a relationship affect her professional standards. The woman sounds like she has her priorities straight.”
The comment makes me think about Stella’s fierce professionalism, the way she’s established herself as an authority figure in our male-dominated environment.
“Are you kidding?” José laughs. “That woman would probably boss Jake around even more if they were shagging. She’s not going to take any shit from him just because he’s good with his hands.”
The comment hits closer to home than I’d like to admit, sending heat shooting through me at exactly how much Stella seems to enjoy me being good with my hands.
“She’s definitely invested in seeing Doc’s succeed,” Chase agrees, his voice carrying genuine respect. “You should see her going through those books. She’s a woman on a mission, but in the best possible way.”
“In a good way,” Asher clarifies quickly. “She actually gives a shit about the business, not just collecting a pay cheque. You can see it in everything she does. She cares about the quality of our work, the reputation we’re building.”
Rhys, who’s been quietly listening to the conversation while nursing his beer, speaks up for the first time. “Sounds like the kind of woman who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go after it.”
“That’s definitely Stella,” Chase says with a nod. “Direct and honest, doesn’t play games. It’s refreshing.”
“So what’s the problem then?” Ella asks, looking directly at me with those sharp eyes that seem to see everything. “If you’re both attracted to each other, she’s good at her job, and you’re good at yours, then where’s the conflict?”
“It’s complicated,” I tell her.