Page 12 of Off-Limits Mate

“Do they give more of a discount for additional mud?” I smile at her.

She rolls her eyes. “No. But they’ll definitely take any chance to fleece a city boy if they can.”

I sigh. “Guess we’re in for another round, then.” I throw the truck to the left, getting some traction on rocks while we climb up the hill slightly. I turn us around before accelerating, splashing into the giant puddle with terrific force, making the muddy water cascade up all around us.

Amara squeals, but it’s with joy. “You’re going to flood the engine, dummy.”

“No, I’m not. I know exactly how to work this thing for peak performance.”

I swear I didn’t mean for it to be a flirty comment. I had no intention of that. But also… I’m sitting in a truck next to a beautiful woman, having a fucking great time. It just happened.

Amara, luckily, doesn’t seem to notice. “You literally just bought this yesterday! There’s no way you could know how to drive it so well so soon.”

I give her a look. “This is not my first rodeo, you know.”

“Yeah, yeah. You and Nolan were taking all the girls out mudding. I know the stories.” She waves her hand. “Still. It’s been a while, and I think we’re probably good.”

I pull the truck out and park it in the small parking area that’s next to the gravel road that brought us in here. The truck, I’m sure, looks anything but new. It’s covered in mud, and I can see two cracks in the windshield from rocks, which makes me hopeful that the sides are dented as well. I can’t do anything about the interior, which is full of high-tech shit that I truly don’t really know what to do with, but, hey; it’s a start.

Unfortunately, I really don’t want to go into town. I know that I volunteered to help Amara rebuild her house, but this… This is fun. And I haven’t had fun in what feels like an eternity.

Realizing that I might be dragging this out for my own benefit, I look over at her. That, also, is a mistake.

Amara’s hair is braided into a thick, long rope that trails over her shoulder. Her cheeks are a little red, her eyes bright, and I can tell that she’s been smiling a lot. It brings me a little thrill of satisfaction.

I made her smile. I shouldn’t be so happy about that.

Amara’s eyes lock on mine. “Jasper. I think that you’ve done plenty of damage. And you should probably check your oil pan. I think you might have punched it on that little rock outcropping over there.” She leans forward and points to something in the distance.

I don’t give a shit about some rocks. If I need to buy a new damn truck every time she wants to go mudding, I will.

“I’m sure it’s fine,” I reassure her. “I’m not worried about it.”

She raises an eyebrow, looking at me. “An oil pan repair isn’t cheap, Jasper. You can just shell out that kind of cash?”

“Yes,” I say. I’m not ashamed of the fact that I’m very well off. I was in a band for a few years that did pretty well, and I made a killing at the record label managing more bands.

Amara blinks, then throws up her hands. “Excuse me, didn’t realize that you were like big rich and all that.”

I’m worried, for a split second, that she’s going to do the thing women always do when they find out about the money. That she’s going to fawn and pretend she wants me, dollar signs in her eyes. Instead, she rolls her eyes.

“It’s just stupid to pay money for something like that when you could prevent it. Check the oil pan, Jasper.”

I shake my head.

“Fine,” she says, unbuckling. “I’ll do it.”

Without warning, she gets out of my truck. I lose sight of her, and I’m about to hop out, too, when she gets back in. Mud, predictably, coats one of her legs, and she looks at it before glancing at me. “Oil pan is fine. Also… I’m about to get your seat muddy.”

I smile. “That’s fine.”

If it was on her leg, her bare, well-toned, beautiful leg, I’d fucking roll in that mud myself.

Shut. The fuck. Up. Jasper.

Amara isn’t some girl I’m trying to impress. She’s Nolan’s sister. And I need to get every single one of these sexual thoughts out of my mind.

I shift in my seat, fighting the blood that’s flowing way too far south. I put the truck in drive. “You ready?”

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