Page 3 of Purr For Me
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Kade studied Lexie’s profile, his brow furrowing when she closed her eyes. Her sooty lashes rested on her high cheeks, and her pretty, dark eyebrows were drawn together. Watching her Cupid’s-bow mouth purse, Kade’s thoughts fled.
Lexie was even hotter than he’d remembered—if that was possible.
Her red spaghetti-strap tank top showed off well-defined shoulders and arms. Lexie’s hands were pretty, but they also held strength, and she kept her nails short. The complete opposite of most of the women he hooked up with—regularly.
Kade’s gaze did a quick sweep over the swell of her breasts, waist, and flaring hips. Curvaceous, rather than pencil thin, suited him just fine. Lexie’s eyes opened just as his reached her toned, tanned legs and small feet. Her toenails, painted a metallic silver, reminded him of chrome, and drove him crazy.
Shoving his hands in his jeans pockets, Kade turned his attention to the engine. “I think the alternator needs replacing, engine reconditioned, and who knows what the hell else.”
Lexie didn’t respond, which irked Kade. His teeth ground together at her attitude. Why should he have to pay for all the shit Jason did?
Because you’re a reminder of how he ripped her heart out.
Kade told his inner voice to shut the fuck up.
He took a deep breath and noticed Tom staring at him. The message in his eyes said he’d better watch himself around Lexie. Hurting her was the last thing he wanted to do. His brother had hurt her enough. She’d explained Jason was the person who owed her, and she’d collect from him. What churned his gut like a concrete mixer was thinking about what she’d do to Jason if the money was gone. She could have his brother thrown in jail.
Didn’t she know she held all the cards? It amazed him Jason’s ass wasn’t in jail already. He’d fraudulently stolen from her.
Unintimidated, Kade gave Tom a half-smile and lowered his eyes to the car again.
Funny that both of them had the same goal. He wanted to find Jason as much as Lexie did. His bother might be the lowest of the low, but he was still his brother, and he wanted to help him. He’d pay for rehab and hope that Jason stuck at it this time. If Jason refused… then he knew his brother would likely be dead within two years, and he’d promised their mother, on her deathbed, that he’d look after his younger brother.
Guilt. You feel guilty.
He pushed the inner voice away, but he felt guilt… because he’d wanted his brother’s fiancée the minute he’d met Lexie, and then she’d married his brother, and a part of him had wanted the marriage to fail—but not like this.
The concentration on Lexie’s face fascinated and amused him. It was as though she had X-ray eyes and could see inside the metal, wires, and plastic to diagnose the problem.
“Where d'you get this?”
Her voice startled him a little because he hadn’t been expecting her to speak. “From someone I used to know.”
Lexie shook her head and put her hands on her hips. “Good thing you have money to burn because this heap of junk will cost a fortune to fix.” She pointed out corroded battery terminals, bare wires, and worn hoses. “And that’s just what I can see. I have a hunch that when I get it up on a lift, I’ll find tons of other stuff wrong with it.” Her eyes met his. “Sure you don’t want to just junk it and cut your losses?”
Kade responded to the hope in her expression with a shake of his head. “Not a chance. This’ll be a sweet ride once you work your magic on it.”
“There are plenty of places that could work magic with it.”
The right side of his mouth lifted in a half-smile. “Not like you can, Lex. You’ve got the Midas touch. I’m sure you’ll have her purring for me in no time.”
Lexie’s expression tightened, and she gave a curt nod. “I’ll go over her today and work up an estimate of what she needs. I need to get changed so I can get started.”
As she walked away, Kade couldn’t keep his eyes averted from her fine ass. He tamped down his annoyance over her cold-shoulder treatment, telling himself that it was understandable. Why would she trust a Colter?
“Sorry about that.”
Kade shrugged as Tom walked over to him. “No problem. I expected as much.”
Tom frowned. “I’ll talk to her. Her history with your brother has nothing to do with you, and I don’t want it to interfere with our business. Do you know where that loser brother of yours is? That would help her.”
“Don’t go there, Tom. It’ll only make things worse,” Kade objected. “I’ll find him.”
Tom gave Kade a measuring look and nodded. “Okay.”
Kade held out a hand to Tom. “It’s good to see you again. Let me know how much this will rock me.”
