My chest tightened. What were you supposed to do when you accidentally brought up someone’s traumatic childhood. Give them a hug?
A hug is the last thing I’d want if I were her.
So instead of moving to comfort her, I nodded. “Damn that’s rough. Sorry your parents kinda sucked. We can talk about it if you want to.”
“Thanks,” Leo huffed, shaking her head. “It’s nothing new though. They’ve always kind of sucked, which means I’ve had a lot of time to figure out how to deal with it. And I’ve got Spencer and Dom. Fucked up as they are, that’s all the family I need.”
She took one last look under the chassis before wheeling over to the lift’s control panel and slowly lowering the car to the ground. “What about your family? How come you don’t talk about your dad?”
As the lift whirred, so did my mind. I’d wanted to be honest with Leo, but him… he was off limits, even within the four walls of my own mind. If I thought about him, I had to think abouteverything I lost, and I’d already learned the hard way that looking back never brought me any good.
By the time the whirring stopped, my hands were shaking in my lap. Tears bloomed in the corners of my eyes, catching me completely off guard. I blinked them back as I pinched the skin on my wrist, trying to keep myself grounded long enough to respond. “I think I’m done playing.”
41
KIERA
I could seefrom the look on her face that Leo didn’t want to spare me, that she wanted to press me on the question and demand an answer.
The truth was, I wasn’t entirely sure how my father had ended up dead. Suicide never made sense. He loved his life, loved us. Even if my mom was a greedy party girl. He loved every part of her with a devotion that couldn’t be extinguished by her rotten behavior.
Leo clicked her tongue. “I’ll let it slide. But I get an IOU.”
“Works for me,” I exhaled, keeping my shaky voice in check.
With a wink, Leo went back to work on the car, her triceps bulging as she leaned into the engine block.
Unable to relax fully, I looked around the shop, still shocked at how clean it was. Most of the others I’d seen were dingy or covered in grease stains.
I suppose you’ve gotta keep the place clean if it’s going to house cars like this.
I couldn’t tell if my dad would have been amazed by it or annoyed that it wasn’t grungy. My chest ached at the thought ofhim, like poking at a fresh bruise. I needed to find something to distract myself.
Leo wasn’t going to be any help. She was already buried in her work again, and if I asked her to distract me, I had no doubt we’d end up talking about the exact thing I was hoping to avoid.
Then my eyes landed on the empty office at the rear of the shop. Behind glass walls, it was completely open to the shop and had a cushy chair and a desk. It certainly didn’t look like it belonged in an autobody shop — more like a C-Suite executives office than a garage owner. Maybe I could get on the computer and search for a job while I waited for Leo to finish.
“Leo?” I started.
Before I could continue, she lifted her head and raised a suspicious eyebrow at me. “Yes, Princess?”
Now I couldn’t stop the smile from taking over my lips. “What?”
“You always ask for more, don’t you?”
“Maybe.” I laughed. “Can’t I just wait in the office? I bet it’s quieter, and you can still see me the whole time.”
Shaking her head, Leo brushed off the request. “Nope, stuck with me.”
“Why? It’s not like I could get away from you if I tried.” Maybe the ego stroking would get us somewhere.
Instead, it just reminded my angel of how strong she was. Wiping her hands on the towel tucked into her pocket, Leo grabbed my waist. Her massive fingers nearly met around my waist as she gripped and lifted me off the ground. Every man I’d ever met had acted like hugging me was a feat. But not Leo. Never Leo.
A squeal came out of my throat as I left the concrete floor.
“If you’re so bored, then why don’t you help me?” Placing my ass on the edge of the car’s frame, Leo turned my hips to face her. Her jaw tensed as she pointed into the mess of wires and metaljust behind me. “So, I need to replace the water pump. The car’s been overheating which shouldn’t be happening on a model this nice.”
“Why not take it back to the dealer?” I tried to stay focused on what she was saying, not the way I could smell her when I leaned forward, or how her wide figure kept my legs open as I twisted to look into the car.
