Page 68 of Debts and Desires
I laughed and squirmed, trying to escape his grasp. Finally, I pushed him away from me, but he kept holding on to my waist, looking down at me with a twinkle in his eyes. I had no choice but to lean up and kiss him again.
27. BAD REPUTATION
October 5
Day Thirty-Nine
115 Hours to Go
“Oh, you dirty fuckin’ bitch,” Carter growled. “C’mon now, quit bein’ a teasin’ little whore.”
I couldn’t help but grin at his frustration, which only seemed to make him madder. Which, in turn, made it harder for me not to laugh at poor Carter. He’d been trying to get the car in front of him to work for the last couple of weeks. It was a money pit, according to him, but he understood why the Walshes wanted him to keep working on it. It was also why he changed the prices for them. By now I had a decent idea of what labor cost, and he was offering well below that rate. Carter, despite all his efforts to hide it, was a sweetheart deep down. I wondered what had happened to him that had made him put on such a hardened exterior. Did it have something to do with his dad?
“You slutty little bitch!” he exclaimed at the vehicle, kicking a tire. I stifled another laugh and Carter whipped around to glare at me. “What’s so damn funny?” he growled at me, his hands covered in grease.
“You,” I replied with a grin. “You’re like a big grumpy teddybear when you’re working. You seem scary, but cute enough that I still want to give you a hug.” He scowled at me, his whiskey eyes flashing with annoyance, which made me bite my lip to stop the laugh. It didn’t work, and I ended up making some weird snorting sound.
“It’s not fuckin’ funny,” he grumbled. “This car is a piece of fuckin’ junk.”
I shrugged, still grinning. “Well, it’s a good thing you’re a certified genius when it comes to fixing things then, isn’t it?”
This time, he snorted, but I could tell my little stroke of his ego had helped. He went back to work on the engine, muttering to himself as he tried to figure out what was wrong with it this time. I watched him for a few more minutes, admiring the way his muscles bulged beneath his work shirt. He was fucking hot, even when he was sweaty, covered in grime and grease, looking like he wanted to murder everyone, including me. It probably didn’t help his mood that the shop’s AC had stopped working days before.
“Got it!” he exclaimed, holding up a piece of metal triumphantly. I clapped my hands in mock congratulations.
“See, I knew you could do it,” I said. Carter shot me a lopsided grin, his eyes crinkling at the corners. He wiped his hands on a rag and stood up. “How about we celebrate by taking it for a ride?” I grinned.
“Or,” he started, stalking over until he was towering over me. “I could take you for one.” I was pretty sure I had a very healthy heart thanks to Carter, with how fast he made it beat all the time.
“Nope. Ride first, fun later,” I said. “Because the sooner you get this done, the sooner we can go home.”
Carter took another step, grabbing my legs and spreading them as he stood between them. He leaned in, the smell of sweat and oil surrounding him. I had to move my head to look up at him.
“You just wanna see Mac,” he said, nose inches from mine.
“So?” I challenged. He rubbed his nose against mine, breathfanning over me. And even though it was hot, my skin still prickled.
“I could go for fuckin’ you right now,” he said. Warmth spread throughout me and more so when he leaned further in, kissing my neck as his hands gripped my thighs tight.
“M-maybe that can be part of the test drive?” I offered, trying to get a clear thought through the brain fog he was causing. “We drive somewhere secluded, b-but not so secluded that someone couldn’t catch us.”
“Is my sweet, innocent Emmy an exhibitionist?” His lips dragged over my skin.
“I think maybe a little,” I admitted. “But it’s your fault.” I gave him a soft shove. He backed up, looking at me through hooded eyes.
“No, it ain’t. It was always there. I just helped you unlock it.” His hand came up to my jaw, fingers splaying over it and some of my neck.
“Carter,” I whined. “You’re not getting any work done.”
“And?”
“And you said you have too much to do.”
“Fine,” he said, rolling his eyes and pulling away. He went over to the mop sink and started cleaning himself up. I looked over myself, making sure he didn’t leave any grime on me. He didn’t. After drying his hands, he headed my way.
“C’mon.” He nodded to the vehicle. Carter helped me down from my spot and into the car before getting into the driver’s side. He looked over at me. “We’ll do a quick test dive.”
“Okay,” I smiled.
