Undeniable (Game of Love #2)

Prologue

PROLOGUE

COLE

“Cole.”

Lifting my head, I looked around the raised hood of the old Ford truck I was trying to keep alive when it really deserved to die with a little dignity. Unfortunately, the owner wasn’t willing to let go just yet.

I met the stare of the mechanic I’d hired only a few weeks ago when I finally accepted that I could no longer keep up with the amount of business coming through my garage. “Yeah, Billy?”

“Parts are in for the Mustang.” He flipped his thumb toward the open bay doors leading to the parking area. “Want me to go pick ’em up?”

I glanced down at the engine I’d just finished tearing apart and frowned. I should stay here and keep working, but I needed to put in another parts order, and I forgot to do that yesterday after work.

Standing straight, I grabbed the red rag hanging from my back pocket and began wiping the grease from my hands. “Nah, I’ll go. I got more shit to order.”

He nodded once and headed across the garage toward the far bay holding a newer SUV that came in today for an inspection. Billy was good at handling inspections and general work, which was exactly why I hired him. I no longer had the time to do those jobs. Hell, I hardly had time to sleep lately.

I finished cleaning my hands and grabbed my truck keys from the hook on the wall before heading out the bay doors. Squinting in the bright afternoon sun, I jumped in my truck and drove across town to the parts store that handled most of my business. I’d gone to school with the owner, and we’d developed something of a professional courtesy. I gave him as much of my business as I could, and he sent me customers when they asked if he knew a mechanic. Considering we were good at what we did, it'd always been a win-win for both of us.

It wasn’t long before I pulled into the parking lot, but I paused when I felt my cell phone vibrate. I dug into the front pocket of my jeans and pulled it out, then shook my head when I saw my sister’s name on the screen. About 50 percent of the calls I received were from my sisters, and considering I had three of them, it made sense. The other 50 percent were usually from my dad and my cousins.

I hit accept and put the phone to my ear. “Bailey.”

“I found it,” she squealed into the phone.

My eyebrows drew together. “Found what?”

“The truck I’m gonna buy.”

I sighed. “I told you I’d help you find one.”

“I know,” she replied. “But this one is perfect, and it’s the exact amount of money I’ve saved.”

“What year is it?”

“The guy said it’s a 1992 Chevy. It’s in great shape, there’s no rust, and it’s blue.”

I rubbed my hand over my forehead. Bay was the sensible one among my sisters, but I still wasn’t surprised she wanted to buy a truck based only on the color and price. “There’s more to it than color and price. Ask the guy if he’ll be around tonight at six. I can check it out.”

When all I heard was silence, I pulled the phone from my ear and made sure we hadn’t lost our connection. After putting it back to my ear, I called out, “Bay.”

“Don’t get mad…”

I shook my head, already anticipating what she was going to say. “You bought it,” I concluded.

“Yeah. But if it makes you feel better, I drove it home, and it runs fine.”

“All right,” I replied. “I’ll look it over when I have a minute.”

She snorted. “When will that be?”

Chuckling, I shoved open the door to my truck and got out. “No idea.” I settled my stare on the parts store. “I gotta go, Bay. I’m picking up parts.”

“Okay, I’ll talk to you later.”

“Yep.” I pulled the phone from my ear and hit End, then shoved the phone back into my pocket while walking to the door.

After yanking it open, I walked through and headed straight to the counter, pausing when I saw a gorgeous blonde behind the computer instead of Dave. Smirking, I finished walking to the counter, already knowing I was about to talk to Dave’s latest fling. He went through women faster than most, and he always made the mistake of hiring them. It really got interesting when he had to let them go after he broke up with them. There have been quite a few times Dave was on the receiving end of a pissed-off female, and they usually had every right to feel that way.

I was almost to the counter when the blonde lifted her head and smiled in my direction. Arousal hit me almost immediately when our eyes locked, which shocked the hell out of me. I could chalk it up to not dating very often, at least not lately, because I was busy working, but I knew that wasn’t what this was. I’d never felt an immediate reaction to a woman in my life, especially without anything more than eye contact.

I finally broke our stare and reluctantly moved my attention from her green eyes to travel across her delicate features and down to her full lips.

“Can I help you?”

Her voice flowed over my skin, and I lifted my eyes to meet hers again. Her smile wavered, and I knew it was because of the way I stared at her. Shaking my head slightly, I reminded myself she was involved with Dave. I wasn’t a guy who did that shit to a friend, but damn, this girl was going to make it hard to follow that moral compass.

Clearing my throat, I remembered why I was here and finally spoke. “I’m here to pick up the parts I ordered.”

“Sure.” She turned to the computer. “Name?”

“Cole Dimarco.” While she searched, I watched her lightly painted fingernails tap on the old computer keyboard that Dave somehow kept working. “You’re new here?”

Her eyes flicked away from the computer screen, and she smiled. “Yeah, I just started last week.”

I nodded, and she returned her attention to the screen. “How long have you known Dave?”

She shrugged, but her eyes stayed on the screen. “Just a little over a week.”

“Wow.” I lifted my eyebrows. “That’s fast, even for Dave.”

Her eyes snapped back to mine. “Fast for Dave? What does that mean?”

I saw the lightness drain from her expression and realized I insulted her. “I didn’t mean to offend you. Dave usually knows a woman longer before he gets involved with her.”

She dropped her hands from the keyboard and laid them flat against the counter between us. “Are you implying I got this job because I’m sleeping with the boss?”

Obviously, she was touchy about their relationship, so I held up my hands. “Didn’t mean to imply anything. Dave just has a reputation for hiring the women he’s sleeping with.”

Her features relaxed some, and I let out the breath I’d been holding when she replied, not even considering why I was jealous of Dave until this very moment. “I’m not sleeping with Dave.”

“That’s probably a good decision.” I grinned when her lips tipped in a small smile.

“Yeah, Dave’s not really my type.” She turned her attention back to the computer after I nodded slightly, but her words stuck with me. It wasn’t hard to believe that Dave wasn’t her type, especially if she knew his reputation. However, I wondered if it was because of that reputation or because he wasn’t a polished type of guy. Dave was rough around the edges and gruff when he spoke, not at all like the guys I imagined this girl was used to. Letting my eyes scan over her blouse and what I knew were designer jeans because of my three sisters, I was once again struck by how out of place she looked in a parts store.

She shifted her attention back to me and gave me the total for the parts I ordered. After I paid, she handed me the receipt. “I can get Kenton to load this for you.”

“I can do it.” I gestured toward the door behind the counter. “They in the back?”

“Yeah.” She hesitated. “But I’m not sure if I’m allowed to let you back there.”

It made sense that she wouldn’t know Dave trusted me to go into the stockroom alone. “Dave and I are old friends. This is usually how we do it.”

She worried her lip between her teeth. “Still.” She looked over her shoulder at the door. “Why don’t I walk back with you?”

“Sure.”

I rounded the counter and followed her into the stockroom, doing my best not to stare at her ass while she walked, but it was damn hard, considering how perfectly her jeans fit her body. Forcing my attention back to what was going on, I watched as she slowly spun in a circle while searching the shelves, but what I ordered wouldn’t be on the shelves.

“My stuff is probably stacked on the floor. It won’t fit on the shelves.”

“Oh.” She faced me, but her expression was once again tight, and I wondered what the hell I said this time to put that look on her face. “Guess I don’t know what I’m looking for.”

She started to turn, but I reached out and wrapped my hand around her forearm. I wanted to say I hadn’t meant to offend her again, but instead, I blurted out what I’d been wondering since I first laid eyes on her. “What’s a girl like you doing working here?”

She squared her shoulders, and her expression hardened further before looking down at my hand with nothing but disgust. Understanding immediately that she didn’t want a grease monkey like me touching her perfect skin, I dropped my hand.

Her eyes slowly slid back to meet mine. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

I decided to cut my losses. I’d met girls like her before and knew they were not interested in a guy with permanent grease stains on his hands and under his fingernails. I used to let that shit bother me, but not anymore. I didn’t know how or why she was working here, and I no longer cared. I should’ve trusted my gut reaction when she specifically said Dave wasn’t her type. Dave and I weren’t all that different, and if he wasn’t her type, then I sure as hell wasn’t. “Not a damn thing.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “I’ll just wait here while you find your stuff.”

Jerking up my chin, I gave her one long last look before heading across the stockroom to the spot where Dave usually kept my shit. Spotting it, I walked toward the door and leaned against it before facing her again. “Can you hold the door open?”

She started toward me but answered sarcastically. “Are you sure I’m qualified to do that?”

I let her sarcasm wash over me, effectively killing any attraction I initially felt. “Wouldn’t ask you if the door didn’t lock immediately after closing, sweetheart.”

She stopped in front of me and locked her clear green eyes on mine. “Don’t call me sweetheart.”

“Don’t know your name,” I pointed out.

She raised an eyebrow. “Good.”

“Paige!”

She pursed her lips and dropped her head when Kenton called out her name. Sighing heavily, she looked over her shoulder. “Yeah, Kenton?”

“Someone at the counter.” He lifted his chin in my direction. “Hey, Cole. Need help loadin’?”

“Just need someone to hold the door.”

Paige started toward Kenton but paused when I spoke. “Thanks for your help, sweetheart.”

She didn’t answer me or look back, which didn’t surprise me. I was goading her by calling her sweetheart after I knew her name, but I was irritated. Women like her didn’t have time for men like me. Thankfully, we didn’t run in the same circles, so I would only have to deal with her when I came here. I had a feeling this job wouldn’t hold her interest for very long.

“Did I miss somethin’?” Kenton asked.

I shifted my attention from Paige’s retreating back to Kenton. “The new girl doesn’t like me.”

He lifted his eyebrows. “Paige.” Glancing over his shoulder, he shook his head before facing me again. “She’s nice.”

“Guess I bring out the worst in her.”

Kenton snorted out a chuckle. “Guess so.”

I reached down and hefted a box, then walked through the now open door. I repeated this five times until I had almost all the boxes loaded into my truck, but my mind wasn’t on what I was doing. It seemed all I could think about was the girl in that store and the way she’d looked at my hand in disgust.

It was only after I finished and was crossing the parking lot with Kenton, both of us carrying the last of the boxes, when it hit me that I hadn’t put in my order. “Shit.”

“Something wrong?”

“I forgot to put in an order.”

He laughed. “Try not to piss her off this time.”

We placed the final two boxes in the bed of the truck, and I headed back inside, surprised to see her laughing with a customer who was obviously flirting with her. I’d bet my business that Dave has gained a few new customers when they found out who was working behind the counter. In my business, it didn’t take long for word to travel, and most parts stores didn’t have a woman who looked like Paige working there.

She glanced up when I moved to stand behind the man leaning over the counter and frowned when she saw me. “Something missing from your order?”

The man leaning over the counter stood straight and looked over his shoulder in my direction, but I didn’t even spare him a glance while I replied, “Need to put in an order.”

“Oh.” She shifted her attention from me back to the customer and smiled. “Guess I have to get back to work.”

He chuckled and pushed off the counter. “See ya next time, Paige.”

“Sounds good.”

He stared at me while he passed, and I recognized it as the challenge it was. He was interested in her and making it known, but he didn’t realize I wasn’t his competition.

Breaking the stare, I stepped up to the counter. “Need to order a few things.”

“Fine.” She sighed and began typing on the computer. “What do you need?”

I rattled off a list but stopped when she was no longer typing. “You got all of that?”

Her eyes met mine. “I won’t be able to order the exhaust pipes.”

“Why not?”

She gestured to the computer screen. “Because they’re not listed as an option.”

“I’ve gotten them here before.” I motioned toward the computer. “Look again. Maybe you missed them.”

She narrowed her eyes. “I’ve already looked twice. I know what I’m doing, Cole.”

“Look.” I sighed and placed my palms on the counter. “You’ve only been here a week. Maybe you’re looking in the wrong place.”

“I’m not looking in the wrong place,” she bit out.

I started toward the edge of the counter. “Let me look, see if I can find them.”

“No.” She shook her head, and I stopped walking. “You’re not allowed back here.”

I threw my arms out to the side. “What the hell is your fucking problem?”

When she only continued to stare at me, I paused, dropped my head, put my hands on my hips, and took a deep breath. I was raised not to swear around my sisters, and I didn’t. Usually. But Paige knew how to push my buttons.

Even so, if my dad were here, he’d have smacked me in the back of the head and forced me to apologize. Lifting my head, I planned to do just that until our eyes met and the stubborn streak my family was known for kicked in.

She crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re my problem.”

“Yeah, I got that.” I gestured toward the computer one last time. “Just order what I gave you. I’ll find the exhaust pipes somewhere else.”

I didn’t wait for her to respond. I didn’t need to. We both knew it would be snarky, and I would reply with something equally nasty, leading to another reason to dislike each other.

Shoving open the glass door, I stomped to my truck and got in. I needed to get back to work. I’d already been gone too long, which meant I’d be working late tonight.

Again.

For a moment, I considered not using Dave to order parts anymore, but I made a deal with him, and I wasn’t about to renege on that. With one last look at the store, I pulled from the lot, already accepting the fact that I’d be back in less than a week to pick up what I just ordered.

My only hope was that Paige would get bored and move on before then.