Page 25 of Sling’s Awakening

My mouth drops open in shock as I feel my face flame with embarrassment from being caught.

Fuck.

I watch as Sling’s lips move like he’s talking to me.

“What?” I ask the window, again, as if he can hear me.

His lips move again, but I have no idea what he’s saying.

My eyes narrow as I watch his grin turn into a smirk as he laughs and looks back to the mower.

What the fuck is he laughing at?

Before I realize what I’m doing, I have thrown on a pair of spandex shorts and I’m out my garage door, storming over to him. The only difference this time is he’s in my yard, not his.

In the time it took me to come outside, he had started the mower back up and is working on another row. I wait for him to make his way back to me because I refuse to chase him any further.

He cuts the mower off when he sees I’m blocking his path. “I thought we were finally getting to know each other. Why are you putting more clothes on to talk to me?”

My face is still heated as I glare at him. “That was a one-off. You woke me up out of a dead sleep. I was flustered. I don’t make a habit of talking to someone without pants on.”

Sling brings his hand to rest above his brows, blocking out the sun as his eyes slowly roam up and down my body. “If it makes you feel more comfortable, we don’t need to talk, though, can’t say I mind those shorts you got on. Jesus.” Sling pauses as he looks around me to see my ass. “Can you even call those shorts?”

“They’re shorts,” I snap as I cross my arms and sassily cock a hip out. “Why are you mowing my lawn?”

Sling looks to the side as he stifles a laugh before turning his attention back to me. “Why didn’t you get Russ before I left?”

I chew on the inside of my cheek as I study him.

Do I trust him and tell him how I really feel about Russ and risk it getting back to him?

I don’t know if I’m ready to go there with him yet. Being in the industry I’m in, you never take someone at face value. There’s always a motive to an action. It could be good, or it could be bad. In my experience, it’s been mostly bad.

“I don’t know if you noticed this or not, but the club was packed last night. I was busy and didn’t notice you had left,” I lie before rolling my eyes as sarcasm laces my tone. “Next time I’ll keep tabs on you.”

“Next time I’ll come find you before I go,” he says, his assessing eyes locked on me. “But if you want to keep tabs on me, baby, then by all means go for it. I’m not going to stop you.”

It takes everything in me not to falter under his gaze. His tone is easygoing and flirtatious, but his body language says anything but.

I swallow the anxiety that’s filling my body, threatening to spill out.

He knows I’m lying.

“You know what I mean,” I say, standing my ground. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“You didn’t answer mine.”

We’re at a standstill.

Neither one of us says anything as we stare each other down, me with a glare and him with that stupid grin on his face.

I raise my brows at him as I wait for an answer because I’ll be damned if I let this man talk me around in a circle without telling me why he’s mowing my lawn like he’s doing an act of kindness.

He can take his kindness and shove it up his ass as far as I’m concerned.

Sling playfully sighs, giving in. “I’m mowing your lawn because it’s the gentleman thing to do.”

I barely contain my snort as I look at him in disbelief. “Are you seriously expecting me to believe you’re a gentleman?”