Page 35 of Burn Point

Nate

“Skippy! Let’s go! If you don’t get a move on, we’re gonna miss the start of the show.” I stood on the back deck and yelled across the yard, scrubbing my hair with my towel.

“Hold your horses,” she yelled from inside the van. “I’m almost done.”

I checked the time. Damn, we were pushing it. I’d wanted to get to the fundraiser concert early enough to get a lawn seat. And Jordan was still working.

We’d spent every available moment working on the van, and we’d made good progress. I was proud of what we’d been able to accomplish so far. Knowing that the work I was doing was making a real difference in her life was satisfying. Even if it meant she’d be leaving.

“We’ve got all day tomorrow. Hurry up.” She was so stubborn and cute when she got all focused on a task.

Her mass of blonde curls peeked out of the side door before she climbed out of the van, closing the doors behind her. I let my gaze travel over her body, enjoying this forbidden pleasure. She had on her work clothes again—an old T-shirt of mine, with the sleeves ripped off, and a worn pair of sweatpants that she’d cut off into shorts. Both were splattered with paint and grease spots and who knew what else. She reached up to flick a leaf off the window, and with a last admiring glance, turned and headed toward me.

I shouldn’t watch her, study her so closely. Or feel that little prickle of pride at seeing her in my shirt. But she was just so fucking beautiful. And fun. And hardworking. And sweet. And dedicated. If it weren’t for the fact that she was leaving, she’d be perfect.

And I was an asshole for having these thoughts about a woman who trusted and depended on me.

She glanced up at the house and scowled when she saw me. Busted.

“You’re a jerk, you know that?”

Yes. Yes, I did know. I offered a cheesy grin in apology.

“I thought you were, like, waiting at the truck for me, and here you are, not even dressed yet.”

I ran the towel over my chest, her gaze blistering me as she climbed the stairs. I liked the feel of her eyes on me, the way they drifted over my torso, lingering as if she liked what she saw when she let her guard down and her feelings showed through. So what if I flexed just to watch those eyes flare.

“I’ve got jeans on. I’m dressed.”

She rolled her eyes and flipped me a bird as she passed. “I’ll be ready in twenty.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it.” I mumbled but headed back in to put on a shirt just in case she kept to that timing.

Fifteen minutes later, I walked into the kitchen to find her propped at the counter with a smirk on her face.

“Challenge accepted, and I won,” she bragged.

“That you did. You gonna get cold later?” I nodded to her cutoff denim shorts and white tank. Fuck me, it was my favorite outfit of hers, not that she had many. She was putting every dollar into her van and had refused to go buy more clothes. When I’d offered to take her shopping, she’d asked me why she needed more, when she was going to have limited storage space anyway and didn’t need an entire wardrobe. She had a point, but it was just another reminder that she was leaving.

“I’ll be fine. I borrowed a flannel if that’s okay.”

“The same one you borrow every time it’s cool out?”

“Yeah, sorry about that.” A rosy flush tinted her cheeks. Gorgeous.

“It’s fine, I’m just teasing. Why don’t you just keep it.” I liked the idea of her taking something of mine with her when she left. “It’ll remind you of your awesome roommate when you are out there on the road. Come on, let’s roll, we’ve got a concert to get to.”

Mike called while we were en route to let me know they’d saved some space for us. It seemed that everyone was excited to get out and do their part if the stop-and-go traffic was any indication. The bright sunny day didn’t hurt either.

Thankfully, the light changed, and traffic moved again. The intoxicating smell of her shampoo filled the cab of the truck, wrapping around me. An image of her naked, fresh out of the shower, flashed in my mind. Those droplets of water trailing down her back, begging to be licked.

I cracked a window and shifted uncomfortably in my seat. Changed the radio station. Adjusted the air. Anything to force that image of naked Jordan from my mind.

“Are you okay?” Jordan’s voice cut through the chaos in my head. Shit, could she read my mind? Were my pervy thoughts bleeding over where she could read them?

I slung my wrist over the steering wheel and braced myself against the door. “Yeah, I’m fine.” Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her rubbing her hands down her smooth legs. I bet it’d be just like silk to touch her there.

She settled an arm on the console between us, leaning closer to me. “So, who all is going to be there today?”

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