Her eyes caught his and she would've sworn his pupils dilated. Just for a second. Just enough for her to notice before he broke the contact, his jaw clenched tight.
"Wait here." He turned and strode out to her car, leaving Jules to collapse against the doorframe as she tried to remember where she was and what she was doing there.
What the hell was that?
She watched him slide into her driver's seat, his large frame making her Honda look like a toy. The engine started, made its awful grinding noise, and cut off. He popped the hood, got out, and bent over the engine, and Jules absolutely did not stare at his ass in those perfectly fitting jeans he was wearing.
"Don't let him scare you."
Jules jumped three feet off the ground, very nearly dropping Fred. Riko had appeared beside her, wiping his hands on a rag. He had the same dark hair as Lex, but with teasing eyes and an easier smile.
"You okay?" His grin widened as he took in her flustered expression. "I heard your car was making a weird noise at the coffee shop this morning."
"How did you?—"
"Small town. Everyone knows everything." He tilted his head, studying her with eyes that held entirely too much amusement.
Lex reappeared in the doorway, filling it completely. His gaze flicked to Riko, and Jules looked back and forth between them as they had some kind of silent conversation. At the end of it, Riko grinned and stepped back a few paces.
Weird.
"Serpentine belt and alternator," Lex said to Jules, his voice careful and controlled. "I'll order the parts, but it might be a few days. You should probably just leave your car here till then."
"Oh." Disappointment sat heavy in her stomach, which was stupid. It wasn't like she wanted to hang around a freezing garage making an idiot of herself in front of the hottest man in town while he fixed her car. But how the hell was she going to pay for a new alternator? Or get to work? "Okay. Um. That's fine. I can call someone?—"
"I'll drive you home."
Riko made a sound that might have been a surprised cough. Lex's jaw clenched harder.
"That's not necessary," Jules said quickly. "I can call a friend. I don't want to be a bother?—"
"Storm's coming." He nodded toward the mountains where some ominous clouds were gathering. "The roads will ice over before they could get here."
She wasn't sure if that was true. Like Riko had said, this was a very small town, and she could think of at least seven people who could be there to give her a lift within five minutes. But before she could argue, Lex grabbed a set of keys from a hook and headed for a black truck parked outside. He didn't look back.
Jules looked at Riko, who made a shooing motion at her. "Better hurry. You're gonna miss your ride."
With a tight smile of thanks, she hurried after Lex, still carrying Fred, and hauled herself up into the passenger seat. Why did the guys here all drive trucks designed for giants?
She set Fred carefully on the dash, adjusting his pot so he wouldn't slide, then clicked her seatbelt just as Lex put the truck in gear.
The cab smelled like him. That pine-and-snow scent that made her want to bury her face in his neck and inhale. Which was completely normal. Totally sane. Not at all like she was losing her mind over a guy who looked like he had a stack of bodies in his basement.
"Thank you," she said. "For the ride. And for fixing my car." She still didn't know how she was going to pay for it, but she'd have to figure out something. Calling friends to shuttle her around town would get really old, really fast. A few days was fine. For months and months until she could find something used as dependable as her Honda? No thank you.
He made a sound that might have been acknowledgment, but wouldn't look at her. Instead, his eyes flicked to Fred, then back to the road. "Nice plant."
They drove in silence for exactly thirty seconds before her nerves got the better of her. "I haven't seen you around much lately. Or Adam, either. Usually I see him at the coffee shop in the morning when I'm heading in for my shift. I like a little cinnamon in my coffee. Is that weird? So, how's he doing? Faye mentioned he's been really busy but I don't know with what living around here. She's my best friend. So that's why I'm asking. It's not like I'm interested in Adam or anything. I'm just wondering. Because she's my friend. My best friend."
His mouth twitched. Just barely. Just enough to suggest he might actually be capable of smiling.
"He's good."
She waited half a beat for him to say more. He didn't. "Must be nice for him, having you and Riko here to help with... whatever it is you guys do. Besides fix cars, I mean." She glanced at him sideways. "Faye's been really cagey about the whole thing. Says Adam's life is complicated."
That amber gaze flicked to her for just a second.
"It can be."
