Page 5 of Mechanic Daddy's Girl
I should let her go.
I don’t. Can’t. Frozen in place with no desire for this to end.
“How did you—” Callie cuts herself off to clear her throat of the nervous, choked sounds coming out of her mouth. She continues once steadied, with more confidence than before. “I’ve been sweating all day. Every inch of me is pretty much…” She pauses for dramatic effect, eyes narrowing into a sultry stare. “Soaked.”
“Jesus Christ.” My grip tightens instinctively. Fingers itching to explore her body while she’s precariously dangling in my arms. “You’ve gotta be careful talking like this.”
“Why’s that?” She giggles briefly before turning her head to the open roller door, looking through it upside-down.
You’re knocking on a monster’s door, and you might not be ready to meet him, is the answer I would’ve given if her sudden shift in posture didn’t open the view to her massive tits pressed against a tight t-shirt.
Callie’s attention snaps back to me, and this time, I find the strength to get her upright and let her go. Though I could’ve basked in clinging to her forever, I doubt she wants my greasy fingers muddying up her otherwise clean clothes. But with it comes a momentary sadness in her eye, at least that’s what it looks like to me.
Almost as though I’m not the only one who wanted to linger as long as the world would let us. Locked for an eternity latched onto one another, no fuss and no care for what’s happening around us.
“I might do something crazy if you don’t,” I say.
“Is that so?” She’s still dangerously close to me. I barely have to move to grab her and pull her into a kiss. God knows it’s tempting. “What kind of craziness could I expect?”
And here it is. My last chance to back away and let this pretty little thing go on to live a normal life. Enjoy her youth without a hulking monster looming over her shoulder forever. Because from the second I met her, the gnawing in the back of my mind told me to run. Stay far away, for there’s no return once I cross this bridge.
“Take you to lunch.”
My response elicits a tremendous laugh from Callie, but the twinkle in her eye tells me she understands the implication behind the silly sentence.
“It’s a date.” She takes a single step back.
And my world comes crashing down around me.
3
CALLIE
This can’t be real life.
That’s been stuck in my head since Boone asked me to lunch, and I’ve tried reasoning how comfortable it all feels, how easy he makes it. Teased the idea of Boone showing hospitality to a stranger in a strange land, but I’d be a fool if any of them felt more real than his hands wrapped around my body. Or his burning gaze trying to unravel me with a single glance.
It's working, too. Far better than I want to let on. But sometimes it’s better not to overthink it. Go with the flow and see where you get spat out.
“Probably not the kind of place you’re used to.” Boone leans back in the booth, toothpick working between his teeth. “It’s greasy, a little grimy, but no one can argue old Joe makes the best burgers in the county.”
I roll my eyes at his attempt to play the place down. Living in a big city on a low salary means places like this are like a second home. Hell, Joe’s Diner probably ranks higher on the list than most of my usuals.
“It’s a good thing I likegreasy.” My words come out exactly as intended. Flirtatious and playful, to see how far I can push things.
After our momentin this workshop, he’s slipped back to his quiet, reserved self. I like the other side of him better, the one who looks at me like I’m the only thing that matters in his world.
“Couldn’t have come to a better place.” He lets go of the toothpick, letting it dangle from the corner of his mouth. “The black stains on those pretty white shoes of yours should be proof enough.”
“This place pales in comparison to your shop. Why do you think I’m so ready to get back there?” This time, even I can’t control the words spewing from my lips. They’re instinctive and insistent, my body knowing what it wants long before my mind can catch up.
The craziest part about it is I shouldn’t know how to want like this. I’ve never spent time with a man, at least not in any meaningful way. The closest I’ve come was a peck on the cheek in middle school. I’m totally out of my depth, yet everything comes so easily with Boone.
He grins widely and toothily. “Shoulda said something. I’d have gotten our food to-go.”
“We’ll just have to find a way to make up for lost time then.” I wink at him as my cheeks start burning.
And if they’re hurting this bad, I can’t imagine what they look like.
