Chapter Thirteen
Nobody paid much attention when the smokin’ hot brunette stepped into the garage.
It was nearing the end of a long workday, and most of the guys were thinking about the beer and burgers waiting for them at the diner down the road.
The open work bay was huge, with cars lifted on hoists, engines hooked up to monitors, and tires stacked ten high.
The place was a bastion of masculinity and not many women dared to enter.
This one not only dared, she struck a pose as she scanned the place.
The Corelli garage wasn’t some neighborhood grease monkey shop.
It was a high-tech laboratory focused on speed and power.
Tools were ordered on peg boards, floors were swept spotless, and computers outnumbered cars.
This was home base for a sport built on testosterone, and the men who worked here were filled with it.
The brunette didn’t flinch. Her gaze swept over the mechanics and engineers. It connected with a guy who wore black-rimmed glasses and a red headband. He jerked when he saw her and conked his head on the hood raised above him.
A corner of the vixen’s lips curled upward in acknowledgment, but she didn’t stick around to preen.
Instead, she started down the wide aisle that led to the double doors at the end of the massive building.
The tall heels of her boots clopped with every step she took, drawing more attention in her direction.
One by one, workers in the building forgot what they were doing. A grizzled veteran with a Fu Manchu mustache slowly straightened from the engine he was tweaking. “Holy shit,” he muttered.
A kid sweeping up metal shavings tripped when he saw her, and the handle of the broom banged him in the head. Embarrassed, he rubbed the red spot, but he didn’t stop gaping.
The hottie was on the hunt. She walked purposefully, never breaking stride as she met each of their gazes.
Those sexy boots were zipped over tight-fitting jeans that cupped a backside curvy enough to make a grown man cry.
A whistle broke out from the end of the garage she’d already searched.
Her hips only settled into a more determined sway.
Damn, she was something.
Activity stopped as she passed until one end of the garage was working, while the other end stared. Finally, someone with a company badge stepped out to meet her.
“Can I help you, miss?”
“I’m just looking for someone.” Reaching out, she smoothed the lanyard that held that badge over the man’s chest. “Don’t mind me.”
Her voice was like raw silk. The man stood dumbfounded as she walked right on past.
The woman’s dark hair swung as she walked, the wild curls tumbling this way and that. She had an angel’s face, but she wore that leather jacket for a reason. There had been hell and determination in her big brown eyes.
A barrel-chested guy in a pair of company coveralls stepped out in front of her next. He grinned at her from a scruffy face. “Hello, beauty.”
“Hi, beast.” She passed him, too, giving him a quick swat on the behind.
It was clear she was looking for someone in particular. A very lucky someone, indeed.
Badge Man caught up with her again. He was puffing as he tried to keep up with her runway model strut. “I’m sorry, miss, but you really can’t be in here without permission.”
She winked at him. “Then someone should have stopped me instead of holding open the door.”
His eyebrows rose, and he threw a fierce look back towards the front office. A line of techs and mechanics stood watching the scene. Two had even rolled out from under cars to observe.
“Whom is it you’re looking for?” the man persisted.
The brunette stopped. Without the clip-clop of her high heels, the place seemed nearly silent.
Only one engine revved. It was the car to her left, the one where a mechanic was still working.
Her gaze swept over the man’s backside as he leaned over the engine, and she licked her lips.
“That’s him,” she said without even seeing his face.
“Cannon?” the man said in surprise.
The mechanic paused when he heard his name. He pulled back to respond, only his green gaze fixated on the woman’s feet.
The ones clad in those sexy black stiletto boots.
“That’s him,” she said throatily. “My husband.”
* * * * *
“Husband?” Corelli repeated. It wasn’t the driver, but his uncle, who ran the business side of the house.
Billy had never taken much of a liking to the guy, and he paid him little attention now. His heart was beating too hard, and his head had begun a dull throb.
Roxie. She couldn’t really be here, could she?
Her boots certainly were. He’d recognize them anywhere.
Slowly, he dragged his gaze upwards. Her feet were planted wide, and one hand rested on a slim hip. Her leather jacket was form-fitted and zipped closed. His grip tightened around the socket wrench in his hand as he finally looked at her face. A dark angel with a devil’s twinkle.
His chest tightened until he had no air. “Ex-husband,” he rasped.
“Are you an idiot?” his tech mumbled.
Billy barely heard him. What the hell was she doing here?
His eyes narrowed as he slowly stood upright. Her chin was lifted in a way that told him she was nervous, and her right foot was cocked onto its heel. She didn’t back off, though. She stood there, staring him down, waiting for him to make a move.
It pissed him off. He’d made his move. He’d left.
“What the hell are you doing here, Rox?”
“I thought it was time I came after you for once.” Her gaze flicked to the thin man at her side. “We need to talk.”
Talk. Billy took the rag out of his back pocket and wiped his hands.
He still couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that she was here, halfway across the country from where she belonged.
It unsettled him, having two separate parts of his world collide.
He’d thought he’d shut the door on his past once and for all. “We’ve talked enough.”
Her eyes glistened, and she swallowed hard.
It was enough to make him do a double take.
When he focused on her again, though, her eyes had narrowed. She tilted her head to the side and swirled her hair around her finger. He braced himself, seeing the gears turning in her head.
“Okay,” she said silkily. Her red-tipped fingernails drummed against her hipbones as she stepped forward.
The sexy roll of her hips distracted him enough that he found himself rooted in place. When she settled her hand over his heart, he couldn’t move. She slid that dangerous touch upwards until she’d caught him by the nape of the neck.
Her brown gaze met his, searching. “Then we’ll do this.”
She tugged down as she lifted herself up onto her tiptoes. Her soft lips pressed against his, and Billy’s heart nearly jumped out of his chest. He dropped the wrench, letting it clatter against the floor, and caught her by the arms.
A whistle cut through the air, followed by a hearty “Hell, yeah.”
The leather of her jacket was chilled, but the body underneath it was warm and oh-so damn tempting.
His grip on her tightened even as he tried to pull back. The ache in his head was growing into a rumble. She snuggled closer, pressing her breasts against his chest. He jerked his hips back before she could rub against him there, too.
Adrenaline surged through Billy, pulling his nerves tight. He had to resist. He couldn’t get sucked back in. He hadn’t detoxed from her yet.
Jaw tight, he held her away from him. This had to stop. She’d messed him up bad this time. Really bad.
“Billy,” she said softly.
He tried not to look at her. He tried not to look into those brown doe eyes, but then she trembled. It went all the way through her, and a soft whimper caught his ear. He looked at her sharply and felt his stomach drop. The expression on her face was so open and honest, it tore right through him.
“I’m sorry,” she mouthed.
When she lifted herself to kiss him again, he couldn’t deny himself. He kissed her back, their mouths melding slowly. Achingly. He slid his hand into her hair and vaguely heard the hoots and hollers that broke out this time.
Their bodies touched, connecting from head to toe. As far as kisses went, it wasn’t the hottest or the most explicit. After over a day away from her, though, it was the hit he needed to ease his shakes.
And start him down the wrong path all over again.
Breathing heavily, Billy broke the kiss. He leaned his forehead against Roxie’s as he tried to make sense of everything. They’d really done it this time. He’d thought the break had been clean.
Why had she followed him home?
Shaking his head, he tried to clear his thoughts. Focusing on his boss again, he realized this wasn’t the time nor place to do that. “I need to leave.”
“You think?” Corelli straightened his badge around his neck. “We can’t have distractions like this. It’s not safe.”
Distractions. Had the man seen Roxie? Shit was going to happen.
Billy looked down at her, taking a deep breath. “You say you want to talk?”
She bit her lip but nodded.
“All right.” He sucked it up. “We’ll talk.”
* * * * *
The drive to his place didn’t take long. He’d been renting a one-bedroom house on the edge of town for a while. The place wasn’t fancy, and he hadn’t taken any steps to make it that way. The roof was new-ish and the drafts had been sealed. That was good enough for him.
It wasn’t like the place was home.
“Give me a minute,” he muttered as he threw his jacket onto a threadbare lounger.
He took the time to clean up and put his head on straight. Knowing Roxie was out there in the living room didn’t allow him to concentrate. The house was too damn small. By the time he returned, he was more wound up and defensive than ever.
Billy swore under his breath. She was on his turf now. Why was he so rattled?
He found her looking at the pictures on the wall—photographs of the crew, him and Justin, and the dog he’d had for a couple of years. It made him edgy. She already knew how to get under his skin. He didn’t want to invite her any closer.