Chapter 19
Jacob
“Hey, you grumpy fuck, you want to grab the other end of that and help me lift this?” Blake said, crouching to grab one side of the connecting rod and piston assembly we’d finished.
I grumbled at him, setting my colder-than-I-liked-it cup of coffee on the toolbox next to me. “It’s too early for your shit, Blake,” I snapped, taking hold and lifting.
We moved the few steps needed and set it back down. Blake nodded his thanks before he crossed his arms. “Don’t act like you’re just in a mood this morning and you haven’t been pouting around here for three days now.” He gave me a stare that dared me to challenge him. “Plus, it’s like eleven o’clock. It’s too late in the day to use the early excuse.”
“Nah.” I chuckled. “It’s just never late enough in the day to deal with your bullshit.”
Blake threw his glove at me, interrupted by a slight commotion behind us. “You must be lost, momma. You look way too good to be here.”
“Animals,” Blake said, stretching his neck to see who the others were shouting at. We saw her at the same time. “Oh shit,” he hissed.
I hurried towards her without a word, glaring at the group of men that had stopped working to stare. Erin walked across the dirt in a tight skirt that barely reached her knees and heels that made her legs look a mile long. What was she doing here? More so, what was she doing here in that?
When she stumbled, I closed the last of the distance between us more quickly. I blocked her from the view of my coworkers. “Hey,” she said quietly, offering me a feeble half-wave.
“What are you doing here, Erin?” I didn’t miss the recoil on her face when my question came out harsher than intended.
She held up the paper bag in her hand like a peace offering. “I, uh, brought you lunch.” She looked around her to see who was watching the exchange, evidently deciding it didn’t matter because she didn’t know any of them anyway. “I was hoping we could talk?”
I debated sending her on her way and making her feel the way I had felt walking out of her office the other day, but when her lip quivered slightly, my chest tightened. I couldn’t turn her away. Instead, I grabbed my hard hat and put it on her head. She scowled at me, reaching for the brim. “Leave it on,” I told her. “It’s for your safety.”
She stared at me, debating whether she’d do as I said. I was glad to see her adjust the hat but leave it on, resting her arm at her side. Erin chewed nervously at her lip, adjusting her weight constantly from one foot to the other. When we finally broke the silence, we spoke at the same time, talking over each other.
“I’m really sorry, Jacob.”
“So you brought lunch?”
Erin giggled. “Yeah, I brought lunch. I wanted to apologize,” she said, holding up the bag. “Listen, I’m—”
I put my finger up to stop her. “Not here. We can eat inside.” I took the food from her and placed my hand on her lower back, guiding her in the direction of the modular building we used as an office. She watched the ground in front of her, carefully taking each slow step to make sure she didn’t trip.
The stares from the other guys stayed on her until we got up the pair of stairs, and I shook my head before I closed the door behind us. When I turned around, setting the bag of food on the paper-covered desk, Erin was silent. “It was bold of you to come to location dressed like that. Those guys out there can be a bunch of animals. What are you really doing here?” I asked, encouraging her to say something.
“I feel horrible.” The words burst from her, and when her voice cracked, my stomach twinged. “I shouldn’t have… I didn’t mean to… I’m sorry.” Erin dropped her gaze to the ground. She brushed her hands over her suit, biting down on the inside of her lip in embarrassment.
I stepped towards her, hooking my finger under her chin and guiding her stare up to meet mine. Her green eyes were shiny, and the tears that built up on the rims shook, threatening to fall down her cheeks. I grimaced, the pain in her stare like a dagger in my core. “I got your texts,” I said gently.
You’re too good for me.
One of the tears that balanced on the edge of her eye broke free, rolling down her cheek and over her lip before it dripped onto her blouse. I brushed my thumb across her cheek, wiping away the trail it left behind just before another tear fell in its place. Erin sniffled. “You didn’t respond.”
“I got busy.” I nodded at the office door behind me as if to explain I’d been at work for twelve hours a day the last two days—that since I’d left her office, I had thrown myself into the extra hours needed to keep this place running.
Erin took a deep breath and blinked slowly, keeping them closed longer than they needed to be. When she opened them again, she couldn’t hide the guilt that was apparent in the green orbs. “Busy avoiding me.” She looked away from me. “It’s okay that you’re mad.”
Was I mad? I pulled her to me. “I’m not mad, red. I’m sorry I put you on the spot.” I kissed her forehead, and when my lips met her skin, a sob broke from her chest. I wrapped my arms around her. “I know I look rough.”
Erin shook her head. “You’re amazing. Everything about you is amazing.” The blush I had grown to crave developed in her cheeks. “I shouldn’t have ever cared what people thought.”
She shook in my grasp, and I pressed my lips to the top of her head, inhaling the smell of her hair. “Sometimes opposites attract.” I let out an airy laugh when I said it, and Erin looked up at me, wrinkling her nose at the cliche.
“Do you really think that’s true?” She seemed skeptical, like a man who hadn’t watched more than a couple rom-coms in his life would actually know.
I shrugged. “I think I really like you.” I brushed a loose hair behind her ear, and she blushed.
Her mouth hung open, and I leaned down to kiss her lips, swiping my tongue along the bottom one and swallowing her quiet hum. I kissed her until her body rested against mine, and when I pulled away, her eyes lazily drifted open. She smiled.
“I think I really like you too.” Then she lowered her voice. “Is that wrong?”
I shook my head. “I’ve never been one that cares to be right.”
I kissed her again, pulling at the back of her blouse to tug it loose from her skirt. Before it came free, there was a loud knock on the door. Erin gasped, but I ignored it. I untucked her shirt, sliding my hands under it and over her bare lower back, pulling her back to me. She held her breath, and I went for her mouth again, biting her bottom lip and sucking on it until she hissed. When she whimpered, I pulled the rest of her shirt from the waistband.
Then there was another knock. “Motherfuckers,” I grumbled, turning my head towards the door. “What do you want?” When I shouted, Erin kissed my neck.
“I just need to get one part and then you can continue your lunchtime fuck fest!” Blake. I glared at the door, and Erin giggled, turning bright red.
She stepped back from me, hurrying to tuck her shirt back in before I made it to unlock the door and open it. She leaned against the desk, her gaze bouncing between me and the still closed bag of food next to her. Her fingers twitched like she didn’t know what to do before she gripped the wooden surface of the desk.
I winked at her before I threw the door open. “You’re an asshole,” I said when Blake stood in the doorway looking proud of himself.
“My bad, dude. Didn’t mean to cock block you.” Blake looked over my shoulder at Erin and smiled at her. “I’ll be out of your hair in five seconds.”
Erin giggled when Blake hurried to the pile of boxes along the far wall. He paused with his hand on the stack, and I knew before he smirked that he didn’t actually need any parts that badly. Blake looked at Erin and gave her a once-over that made my skin crawl. A low growl rolled from my chest.
“That was awfully nice of you to bring this lug lunch,” he said with a wink. “What do you see in him, huh? A woman like you could do so much better.”
I stepped forward, possessively putting my arm around Erin. Blake didn’t need the reminder to behave. He knew exactly what he was doing. And he knew it was going to piss me off. “Watch yourself,” I warned him anyway.
“I’m just saying!” Blake laughed, and Erin couldn’t hold back the smile that stretched her cheeks.
She shrugged, bumping into me with her shoulder. “It’s okay. We just decided we’re all wrong every once in a while.”
I tightened my hold around her shoulder, pulling her against me and kissing the top of her head. “Get the part and get out.” I glared at Blake, and he chuckled. He grabbed the top box, taking his time to exit. The longer he took, the more the frustration rumbled inside me.
“You kids use protection, mmkay?” Blake said, slamming the door when I turned and threw the pen in my pocket at him. It bounced off hollow metal, making a small clink before it landed on the floor.
Erin looked at me. “Your friend is charming.” She giggled, implying she didn’t mind the interruption as much as I had.
“We’ll go with that.” I looked at the closed door and then back to the green eyes that drew me to them like magnets. “Let me take you to dinner.”
“When?” She licked her lips, and I debated if she was imagining the food or the unspoken promise of making her scream when we were done.
“Tonight. Seven o’clock.” I traced her jawline. “I’ll pick you up.”
“Where are we going?” she asked, placing her hands on my chest.
I put my hand over the back of hers. “Why? Do you have a specific request?”
Erin shook her head. “I just want to know what to wear.”
“Wear something red. I love the way you look in it.” I winked when her cheeks turned that exact color. She looked thoughtful, and I could already see the gears turning as she mentally flipped through every crimson item in her closet.
She swatted my chest, standing up from the edge of the desk and forgetting about the food in the bag. “I’ll see you at seven.”
“See you then, red.”