Page 11 of Saved By The Mechanic

The thought isn’t enough for me to become wary of the man as he leads us to another door that opens into what I assume is his home. It doesn’t look like it would belong to a serial killer, at least. I’m greeted by a modern and chic living space. The walls are adorned with tasteful artwork, adding a touch of elegance to the room. The furniture is sleek and contemporary, very unlike the rough man currently standing next to me.

Large windows let in streams of natural light, illuminating the space and carefully chosen decor. Unlike the shop, this space carries the faint scent of the cut flowers on a side table. Everything is meticulously arranged. It’s a perfect blend of style and warmth, and for the first time since meeting Ray, I wonder if the man has another woman in his life.

Christ, I’m such a mess.

I should have asked him before he touched me. I should have considered the fact that someone as hot as Ray would be involved with someone else.

I hug my waist and look around the space that definitely has a feminine touch to it. I don’t know this man well, but something tells me he’s not a flowers and modern art type of guy.

He must notice me staring at the flowers as he leaves my side to approach them. “I guess my mother stopped by today when I was away this morning,” he says, fingering a rosebud before turning to me. “She does that a lot. ‘Giving life to my home,’ as she puts it. Says I need to find a woman for my space. I guess she doesn’t need to worry about that any longer.” He takes a step toward me, and then another, until he’s standing in front of me, brushing his fingers over my wet cheeks and pushing a stray hair from my face. “There is no other woman in my life, Penny. You are who I want, and I will do everything in my power to make you stay with me.”

I blink up at the man. “Y-you don’t even know me.”

“I don’t need to know everything about you to know that you’re what I want,” he says, and I know . . . I know deep inside that I should brush off his words, but I let them soak in. I let myself believe that a single meeting is enough to determine that someone is your future.

Under his intense gaze, I slowly drop my reservations. Or whatever shreds of them I had left.

When Ray leans down to brush his lips over mine, I give in too easily. Parting my lips for his with a breathy sigh. Grabbing onto his coveralls when he deepens the kiss, sending an ache building in my core.

It’s madnesshow much I want this man I just met.

To believe his promises of protection when he doesn’t even know the kind of monster he is fighting against.

When I snuck out of the monster’s lair this morning, I was sure I was the only one in my corner. I was prepared to run and hide for the rest of my life if it took that long. Now Ray promises to fight for me. To protect me.

He’d said I could trust him, and it’s terrifying how much I already do.

Christ, I’m so tired. I want to stay.

Chapter Five

Ray

I ignore the weird looks Ralph sends my way when I grab the wrong tool twice in a row. These are amateur mistakes, and I haven’t been a rookie anything in fifteen years. Well, not to the point of the kind of mistakes I’ve been making lately at least.

Christ, I can’t believe I was so careless with Penny. She assured me countless times that she was fine when she slipped into my bed earlier after a shower. She was out like a light the second her head touched the pillow, and I’ve slowly come to terms that maybe I am not entirely the cause of her tears, but that doesn’t excuse from how careless I was with her.

Fuck! I should have waited.

“So, boss. I don’t think you’ve noticed the oil you’re pouring into that engine.”

My eyes snap to Ralph and then to the conventional oil in my hand, and I let out a frustrated groan. Another mistake. Heck, even at seventeen when I worked part-time at my old mentor’s garage, not once did I put the wrong oil in an engine; this is an all-time low. Now I’ll need to drain the oil and use the synthetic oil, which is what I was supposed to do in the first place. What a waste.

“Fuck!” I growl, frustrated with myself more than the situation.

“Want to talk about it?” I flash Ralph a look that would send most people running from me, but he simply chuckles. “I guess you don’t.”

I figure he’ll drop it and get back to work, but that is another mistake. Ralph was the first person I hired when I opened my garage ten years ago, and despite being more of a friend than an employee, he insists on calling me boss.

“So those marks on your neck . . . Get into a fight with any cats lately?”

I sigh, fixing him with another glare, but he doesn’t back down. “Yes, I was rescuing a cat from a tree, and it starched my neck raw.”

“Is that cat blond and does she wear red stilettos?”

My eyes narrow on his. “How the fuck do you know what the hell stilettos are?”

“My girlfriend asked me to buy them for her on Valentine's, among other things. Cost me a shit load of money, but worth every penny,” he says with a devious grin. “So about red-stilettos girl, is she still holed up in your office?”

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