Lunch arrived, offering me a welcome distraction. With one hand holding my book and the other used to ungracefully shovel food, I didn’t see the object of my affection until his smooth male voice interrupted myjugglingact.
“Hey, I’m sorry tobotheryou.”
Of course I knew it was him, and yes, he was bothering me; at least that’s what I told myself in order to keep from squealing like one of Jake’s fangirls. I shot my head up, determined to put him in his place with a show of strength and prominence but was greeted with the warmest, most inviting smile I’d ever seen from such a handsome male face. My steely façade melted into puddles, and I smiled back at him with the same affecting emotion. Oh, no no no. What was happening here? Was I about to look away again?No, Emma! Don’t do it… be strong. Dammit!Once again I was staring down at my hands.Coward.
Who knew I could be such a spineless wimp when presented with unparalleled hotness? This was just painful now. Maybe it was the unpredictable nature of his being, or maybe it was my guilt for having eye-fucked him in the parking lot, but whatever it was, my body was responding. I was like a volcano that had lain dormant for a century only to be awakened by a magnificent rock tossed into its core. And now all that molten fury was just churning around, waiting for its chance toerupt.
My female reproductive system wasn’t the only thing with a life of its own; my eyes were also wildly off kilter. Once they finally looked back up, they scanned every inch of the beautiful man, taking note of each blemish and categorizing the shades that swam in his light blue eyes. They’d already calculated the time since his last shave – yesterday afternoon – just enough time to dust his jawline with grit but not enough to qualify asstubble.
My restless eyes traveled downward over his grimy body. Nothing escaped my notice, not the strapping chest or the bronzed skin or the dirt flecks on his denim crotch. But it was the grease stain on the man’s thigh, and how he’d chosen to tackle it, that snapped me out of my pheromone-induced infatuation. Just as I’d suspected he would, the mechanic had chosen to simply rub the spot with water, and now the stain was double in size. No way could I let such a gaffeslide.
“Paper towels,” Iblurtedout.
“Excuseme?”
“You need to blot grease stains with paper towels, then sprinkle them with some baby powder. Afterwards, you should be able to scrape it off with aspoon.”
Ass-guy had an expression on his face I couldn’t quite read. Clearly my interruption had robbed him of the words he’d prepared to dazzle me with. No matter. He was quick onhisfeet.
“And to think, today of all days, I left my baby powderathome.”
His response took me by surprise, and I laughedunexpectedly.
He beamed, as if making me chuckle had been on his agenda from the verybeginning.
“Salt and baking soda work too… if youevencare.”
“I actually don’t… but if it bothers you that much, I guess I could give itatry.”
“I’m notbothered.”
Yes. I was. So incredibly hot andbothered.
He smirked in a knowing way. Somehow, he already had me pegged. How could he know that his lackluster approach to sanitation was driving me frickin’ insane? If I could do it without looking like a complete freak, I’d be on my knees sprinkling him with white, fluffy dust and scraping the muck offmyself.
“I just don’t like…” I began, stopping my sentence to flick my eyes over him. “Messes.”
The parking lot mechanic picked up on my diss right away and found it wildly funny. I hadn’t really been joking, but whatever. Damn, these regular, down-home type boys were easy to please. I felt myself relaxing under his friendly gaze, and that warm tingle returned. Maybe I’d been putting too much stock in deodorized metrosexuals. Could it really be that I craved a little stink in my life? God knows this guy coulddeliver.
“So, um… I almost forgot what I came over here for.” His eyes again connected to mine, and the intrigue in them told me I had his full attention. How, I had no idea. After all my stupid schoolgirl antics, I was surprised he hadn’t run far away in the opposite direction. “Anyway, I guess you saw that my truck crapped out on me. Sorry about the language out there. I didn’t know anyone waswatching.”
Oh, yes. I’d been watching.I decided not to mention that I’d been observing him long enough to know that his right butt cheek did a cute little twitch every time he shifted positions or that I knew the exact color and style of his underwear – blue checkered boxerbriefs.
“Don’t worry about that.” I shrugged. “I’ve gotbrothers.”
He smiled again, and as my heart pounded a little faster, I realized something strange was happening… his coiled tresses were becoming more appealing with every word he spoke. My eyes narrowed in on this man standing before me, looking for fault in him and finding it everywhere and nowhere all at once. The rave going on in my lady parts was no joke. I was beguiled. Everything about him was absolutely wrong for me, but for some inexplicable reason, his do-it-yourself charms felt oh soright.
“Anyway, I was just wondering if you happened to be headed to SunDesert.”
I blinked in surprise. How in the world would he have known that? Was he a reporter? Had he followed me here? Then I remembered that he’d been at the diner first, with his head buried in the engine when I’darrived.
“Your clothes.” He smiled at my obvious confusion. “You look like you might be headed thereisall.”
Damn Casey and her eye for fashion. The dress she’d picked was too revealing, and now this guy was assuming things that he needn’t be. I snapped out of my wide-eyed infatuation. Survival instincts took over. Giving some stranger information about my plans was stupid andrisky.
He seemed confused by my lack of response. “So…uh… are yougoing?”
“Why do you want to know?” I answered his question withmyown.
