Page 6 of Grumpy Mechanic

"I get it. That's one reason I love fixing them. It's hard to let go of certain things when they hold memories, smells?—"

Thunder booms, cutting off his words as it shakes the house and startles me. My body reacts, causing me to jump and turn into Chase's muscular chest. He holds me as another rumble and boom of the storm rattles the windows, and I bury my face against him.

His quiet strength wraps around me like a weight of safety that helps me relax. My heart races under his firm touch. He smells divine and no longer looks like he's been fighting oil spills under the hood of my car. The longer Chase holds me, the longer I want to stay right here with him.

Cooler minds prevail as we part once the storm reminds us that it's still barreling against the house.

"I'm going to head upstairs and make sure the windows are secure." Chase backs away but lets his fingers stay on my waist for just a moment longer. A low moan vibrates out of him as he pulls away, adjusts his sweatpants, and walks out of the kitchen.

Breathe, Maddie.

It doesn't matter how hot he is. It’s inappropriate to take advantage of his hospitality. Chase has overextended himself enough today. Even when his demeanor appears to be against the notion of a friendly neighbor. He didn't turn me away when he could have, and he let me inside this house when he could have left me outside.

The briskness of his attitude could be from many things, but I don't want to add myself to that list. After blowing out a few deep breaths, I get back to cleaning up the kitchen. The idea of Chase kissing me senseless sits in my mind, adding itself to a long list of sexual fantasies.

The overwhelming need for me to apologize again compels me to finish tidying up and head upstairs. I find Chase standing at the end of the hallway in front of a window. The rain pelts the side of the house while the winds blow through the tall grass in the backyard.

"Listen, Chase, I just want to apologize for down there, for today altogether. I've been barging in on you since I pulled into the shop, and I was inappropriate downstairs. You were just trying to calm me down, and I made it weird. You weren't going to kiss me or anything like that. As soon as the rain lets up, I can call my sister or my dad to come get me."

Chase turns around to face me, tipping his head slightly. "You don't have to apologize to me. The truth is that I wanted to kiss you but felt like I was taking advantage of you being in distress."

"Distress?" The word feels like an insult. "I wasn't in distress."

He chuckles. "We have two very different definitions of distress. You showed up at my back door looking like you dragged yourself through a swamp."

"The swamp was that yard out there," I bite back in defense. "Besides, I trekked over a mile in this storm to find help. I was not in distress. That makes it sound like I would have died. At the most, I was in need of assistance."

He laughs louder this time. "Tomato, to-mah-toe. Youcould havedied out there. Didn't you say your car spun out? You're lucky those bald tires didn't pop on you. The car could have flipped and landed in a ditch."

"Since you insist on bringing it up, I'll give you another apology for that, too. You were right about my car, its tires, the storm—all of it. You were right, and I was wrong. There. Are you happy now?"

"I'm happy you're here, but I'm not happy that I was right about you almost dying, Maddie. I like you intact, safe, dry, and in one piece." He pauses, eyeing me from head to toe, and licks his lips as the tension between us shifts from combative to sexual. There's something powerful brewing. "Well, having you a little wet is better than dry."

The admission makes my nipples perk with desire, and I run my tongue over my lip, waiting for Chase to do what we both wanted to happen downstairs.

4

CHASE

Idon't like beating around the bush when it comes to matters of attraction. But I also don't want to feel like I'm forcing anyone to do something they're not comfortable with. We've been butting heads ever since Maddie came into the shop. Yet, there's a spark of something between us, even if it's mild bickering, that I can't ignore. I like a woman who can push back.

Maddie pushes back and pushes herself up onto her toes. I don't let her come all the way as I wrap my arm around her waist, drawing her close to me to press against my body. Lightning flashes across the sky as thunder claps, illuminating the shadows of our silhouettes in the hallway.

My mouth captures hers with passionate hunger. When she parts her lips, our tongues meet and dance around one another while the rain plays the melody of our kiss against the window. A moan comes out of my throat as warm anticipation trickles down my body.

I lean over, scooping her ass into my hands to hoist her into my arms and carry her into my bedroom. As our mouths work us both into a frenzy, there's a steady dripping noise above us.

However, my head is busy with images of what's to come, who's to come, and making sure Maddie comes all over me. I slide my mouth away from hers, creating a trail down her neck until I reach the collar of her shirt. One hand slips under it to palm her breast while my mouth leaves goosebumps across her sweet skin.

Maddie's moans of satisfaction encourage me to continue, but the dripping sound above us grows loud enough for her to place her hands on my shoulders.

"Wait a minute. What's that sound?" she asks.

Taking a gasp of air, I begrudgingly roll away from Maddie. Both of our heads tilt and turn to figure out where the sound is coming from.

"It could be coming from the attic." Trying to think clearly and shake off the lust fogging my brain, my eyes drift toward the ceiling.

"That doesn't sound too good. Any dripping noises that can be heard from outside the attic probably mean there's a larger leak. Maybe we should check the windows from the outside. If the gutter is dripping onto something, we could be worried for nothing."

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